Adam's Rib Revisted
by Sand n' Sable
Summary: Trapper John McIntrye and Margaret Holihan meet up again at a diner in Chicago. What will come of it? Maybe nothing...maybe something. Time will tell.
1. Chapter 1 Meeting

**Disclaimer---I don't own anything, none of the characters of M*A*S*H, if there is a 'Adam's Rib' diner, don't own that, nothing, just the plotline. Enjoy and ****please**** if anybody reads this, please respond with a review!!!!**

He stepped into the diner, he shook the rain off his jacket and looked around and there was a hat rack so he put his jacket on it then went to go sit down. He had been in Chicago three months so far and hasn't ate here and he thought he would give it a try, he remembers that time at the Mash outfit in Korea about Hawkeye having a fit for these ribs that they made here so he found this diner advertisement in the paper and he thought 'Why not?' Adam's Rib's. He was hungry just thinking about it. He missed lunch, too busy at the hospital. Too busy trying to forget. He went to go sit down at a empty table and a young waitress came up to his table with a pad and pencil, she looked at 'Trapper' John McIntryre and asked:

"What can I get you?"

Trapper scratched his forehead then said:

"Order of ribs, a coke and oh yeah, slaw on the side"

'That was important', he thought, 'Hawkeye almost had a fit when he forgot the slaw'

She writes down the order then turns to hand it in. He sat back and closed his eyes, he heard the door open but he didn't look to see who it was.

It was her. Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan. She too was in Chicago, she wanted a new place to start over, to begin so she started work at the local hospital, she picked Chicago of all places to begin a new life, one from her father, one from Korea, one from Donald and Frank....and she runs into him.

_She might as well be friendly!_ she thought so she goes over after she takes off her rain jacket and clears her throat:

"Ahem"

Trapper opens his eyes and he can't believe it! he blinks and then he says:

"Margaret!"

She smiles and he gets up and hugs her and signals for her to sit down with him at the table, she does abet nervous. The same waitress who is barely out of her teens comes over with the same pad and pencil and Margaret says:

"Oh, um, ribs please and a glass of water, please"

The waitress starts to leave when Trapper tells her:

"Add a order of slaw to that..."

He smiles at Margaret and says:

"On me"

The waitress leaves and Trapper tells Margaret, 'The slaw is the best...according to Hawkeye"

She smiles then asks:

"Have you heard from him? where he is?"

Trapper says:

"In Maine, practicing at his father's office, he's still trying to convince all the locals that he's not some psycho luntic out to kill him"

Margaret shakes her head and remembers---Hawkeye was put in the physiological hospital in Seoul just prior to the war ending. He couldn't take it after a local woman killed her baby after Hawkeye trying to make her quiet the baby for fear of the Koreans finding them. Trapper pulls her out of her thoughts:

"Margaret? what are you doing? what are you doing here in Chicago?"

She shakes her head then says:

"Oh, I'm here, working at the hospital"

The waitress brings them their cokes, sits them down then he asks her:

"You're not working at a army hospital?"

She shakes her head then says:

"No, I got out...it's strange, I thought the Army was my life but...other things came along"

He shakes his head then says:

"The war changed a lot of things for us all"

The waitress brings out their ribs, sits them down and Trapper says:

"They have fast service here"

Margaret smiles at the food then says:

"Let's see how they taste"

Trapper takes a bite of his as does Margaret and both they're eyes widen and Margaret says:

"Yummmm!"

Trapper then says:

"This is better than what my father used to make...no disrespect dad"

Margaret laughs then says:

Hawkeye certainly knew what he was talking about"

Trapper shakes his head then says:

"No wonder he was crazy about this place...no pun intended"

Margaret laughs then finally asks Trapper:

"What are you doing here? In Chicago?"

_This is what he was dreading, telling the first person. He sighs, throws down his napkin and says:_

"I'm interviewing for a job at a hospital"

Margaret looks surprised then says:

"Oh? you're not in Boston anymore?"

He takes another bite of ribs then says:

"No"

She then asks after her bite:

"What about Louise? the kids? are they here?"

He looks out the window then says:

"Louise left me a year after I got home, we tried for the kids but we knew things weren't the same after I got back"

Margaret puts down her rib and says:

"I'm sorry"

He takes a sip of coke then says:

"It's okay, you didn't know"

She looks at her plate then says:

"Hey! look at this! I'm eating more than you! I've already got it half gone!"

He laughs then says:

"Ha ha, it is good isn't it?"

She agrees by taking another bite and he says:

"I think I'll try the slaw now"

He does then says:

"Oh, just as good"

They both smile and continue eating.

A little while later, they have finished their ribs, slaw and drank their cokes and now they are sitting back drinking coffee like you should after a good meal. Then Trapper says:

"This was good Margaret, the meal was good and seeing you was good, but I got to go, I got to get up early in the morning for my interview"

She takes a gulp of her coffee then says:

"I know I got to go after I finish mine"

He stands up then says:

"I would like to see you again Margaret but I don't know when that will be, I can't give you a phone number because well, since I just moved here, I don't even have a phone"

She puts down her cup then says:

"Me too but my phone should be in by the time I get home"

He smiles and shakes her hand then says:

"Maybe we'll see each other sometime"

She says:

"Maybe we will, one thing I learned, something always unexpected happens"

He lets go of her hand, goes over to the hat rack and gets his jacket and turns to Margaret and says:

"At least it quit raining"

She smiles and he leaves. She looks out the window and takes another sip of her coffee then sighs.


	2. Chapter 2 St Angela Merici's Hospital

**I want to say a BIG thank you to all who read and reviewed my story! Thank you all so much! You don't know how you have lifited my spirits, please keep reviewing! This story has been in my mind & heart a long time and I decided to put it on paper finally.**

**Disclaimer:: I own nothing, no characters, no places in this story . The story belongs to CBS and the wonderful creators of this bigger than life series.**

Margaret walked into the hospital, looking at everything and sighing. She just couldn't get used to this hospital, for some unfathomable reason, she somehow liked that hospital back in Korea. Maybe it was because it was smaller and she knew where everything was, she just didn't know. She went to a door marked 'Nurses locker room' and she went in, went and opened her locker that said 'M. Houlihan', she took off her jacket and put it in and put on the nurses jacket she had in there and closed the door, she looked down to find her shoe untied so she sat down to tie them when she heard a crackling sound and knew what it was. _Speakers._ She thought then a voice came on and asked:

"Nurse Houlihan?"

_Another sigh._

She then said:

"Yes, mister Woods?"

Another crackle:

"Could you please come up here to my office? I have someone for you to meet"

She ties her shoe then puts down her pants leg then says:

"Yes sir, I'll be right there"

She stands up, straightens her jacket then heads out the door, she walks down the long hallway to the last door on the right, she goes in, and says:

"Yes sir?"

A tall man with thinning black hair turns to her and smiles and he says:

"Just a minute, he's in..."

Just then the door opens from the side of the room and out comes 'Trapper' John McIntrye. Margaret's eyes go wide open and she says gleefully:

"Trapper!"

Trapper turns his head to see her and he smiles and they go to hug each other then Mister Woods say:

"I see you two already know each other"

They both laugh and Margaret turns to the hospital administer and says:

"We worked together in Korea"

The administer smiles and asks:

"'Trapper'?"

Trapper laughs then says:

"That is my nickname from college...I trapped the football players"

Margaret, Trapper and Mister Woods all laugh then Mister Woods says:

"Well, I'm glad to see my staff already getting along so well....Nurse Holihan, I'd like to introduce you to Saint Angela Merici's new chief of staff"

She smiles in slow shock then she says:

"That's great...this is the job you were interviewing for?"

Trapper tells her:

"Yes"

She hugs him again and says:

"That's just great"

Mister Woods just says:

"Well, that's what I called you up for Nurse Houlihan...could you show doctor McIntrye around?"

She tells him:

"I'd be glad too"

Margaret and Trapper leave the administers office and Margaret points to this door and that then they finally get to the nurse's station and Trapper asks her:

"How have you been doing Margaret?"

She turns to him and gets a folder then says:

"I'm fine, you?"

He scratches his chin then says:

"I'm doing okay, hey, I called Hawkeye and told him about us going to 'Adam's Rib's"

She laughs and asks him:

"And what did he say?"

He chuckles then says:

"You won't believe this"

She looks around then asks:

"What?"

In between chuckles, he tells her:

"He wants me to go get him a order and ship it to him!"

Margaret laughs and then he says:

"I'm going to after work"

Her laughs finally dies down and she asks in a more somber tone:

"How is he doing?"

Trapper tells her:

"He's doing good, he finally got a patient, a real one, not just a broken bone but a real one…"

He scratches his head then says:

"I cannot recall her name but she was the one who sent you guys the letters from 4th grade I think"

Margaret all of a sudden starts crying then she says:

"I remember…oh, Trapper, you should have been there, those kids asked questions, that were funny, serious and meaningful"

He laughs and says:

"I know, Kathy asked me a question last week…"

He stops as he remembers then he says:

"Well, she's his patient, she's pregnant, her husband wanted her to go to Portland or something but she told him listen, NOBODY is touching me but Hawkeye Pierce and if you don't like it, tough"

Margaret chuckles then says:

"Good for her…she's going to have one of the best"

Trapper smiles and says:

"He told her that if this is a girl, she has to name it after him"

Margaret stands still for a second then says:

"What did she say?"

Trapper laughs one of his booming laughs then says:

"She just shuddered at the thought of Benjamia and says she'll think about it"

Margaret smiles then says:

"I would too…um, excuse me, I have to start rounds"

He nods his head to her and she collects more files then leaves and Trapper looks after her.

A few weeks later, Margaret is in the same hospital nurses locker room with a bunch of her nurses. They are all talking, Margaret then claps her hand then says:

"Girls, girls!"

They all turn their heads to look at her and she says:

"I know this meeting is a little impromptu but I have to ask something…as you know, we have had a new chief of staff, Doctor John McIntrye working with us for a few weeks now, what I want to know is…how are all of you working with him?"

The women all look at each other then one of the nurses says:

"Fine"

Another one says:

"He is so good but he can be intense about his job"

Margaret smiles then says almost to herself:

"He can be that…."

She raises her voice and asks:

"I guess what I'm mainly asking, um, he hasn't done anything…'improper' has he?"

It slowly dawns on the girls what she is asking then one of them says:

"Ma'm! No! not to me!" "Or me"

One of them says:

"It is surprising, one of my sisters worked with him back in Boston and she says he was known for how he was with the ladies so I was waiting…but I have never heard of anything"

Margaret smiles then one of the nurses asks:

"Why do you ask ma'm? we heard you worked with him in the war"

Margaret shakes her head yes then says:

"I did and so I was wondering if anything….was going to happen"

A nurse says:

"No ma'm"

Margaret then says:

"Good, you can all go back to work now"

The girls file out and Margaret stands back and smiles.

A few hours later, Trapper strolls up to the nurses station and puts down his clipboard and clears his throat then asks the nurses there:

"Excuse me"

One of them turns to him and asks:

"Yes, Doctor McIntrye?"

He looks around then asks:

"Um, I was wondering, uh, how is it for you ladies to be working with Ma…nurse Houlihan?"

They all look at each other then one of the ladies, a nurse with shiny black hair and blue eyes says:

"She's fine, she can be a bit hard sometimes but otherwise she's fine"

He looks down at his file and scratches a few things on then says:

"Good, good"

The nurses look at each other then one says:

"That's funny, just this morning, she asked…."

One of the other nurses gently puts her hand atop the other nurse and squeezes it and the nurse stops talking then a voice comes on the P.A.:

"Calling Doctor McIntrye to Emergency surgery please"

He says:

"Excuse me ladies"

He leaves and the nurse asks the other one:

"Why did you stop me from talking?"

The nurse looks at her and another nurse and says:

"I don't think they need to know each other was asking about them"

The nurse mouths herself in a 'Oh' and they watch Trapper go to surgery.


	3. Chapter 3 Socialor dance?

**A/N-Maybe there was a reason I couldn't write this chapter until today-January 8-you guys will see what I mean as the chapter goes. As before I do not own M*A*S*H, any places and in this case, ****any**** songs! Enjoy! And I did my research, this song was popular in 1957.**

The hospital wasn't busy at that moment, a couple of nurses were at the nurse's desk and nurse ( formerly, Major ) Margaret Houlihan comes up and lays a clipboard down and starts writing on it when another nurse with shiny black hair comes up and says:

"Oh! I'm so excited!"

Another tall nurse with reddish brown hair smiles and says:

"What are you so excited about Anne?"

Anne just bubbles with excitement and she says:

"Haven't you heard? there's going to be a dance! a valentine's dance for the hospital! and Mister Woods has arranged for it to be in the grand ballroom of his parent's hotel!"

The other nurses and Margaret just smiles and says:

"That's nice of Mister Woods"

Anne shakes her head then says:

"I certainly like him a whole lot more than the last administer"

The red headed nurse just rolls her eyes then says:

"That louse? he certainly didn't have any fun"

Another nurse standing by agrees and says:

"And such a stickler for rules!"

Margaret raises her head then asks:

"His name wouldn't happen to be Frank Burns is it?"

The nurses look confused then the red headed nurse says:

"No ma'm, why?"

Margaret stifles a small laugh then says:

"No reason"

Anne asks her:

"Are you going to the dance ma'm?"

Margaret looks up from her papers then says:

"No, I don't think so, I prefer to stay at home now"

The nurses shake their heads then in rolls a patient on a gurney and Margaret says:

"Let's get busy people!"

The nurses start scattering in all directions to go to work as two more people are wheeled in on gurneys.

A while later, all the nurse's gather back around the nurse's station like bees in a honeycomb, Anne comes and so does the red haired nurse, another nurse with light brown hair and Margaret and Anne says:

"That was rough"

The red haired nurse says:

"Did you see all that glass in them?"

Margaret picks up her clipboard then says:

"You can all be proud of the work you did in there ladies, those men are alive thanks to all of us and the doctors"

She starts to leave when another blond hair nurse comes running up and she says:

"I don't believe it!"

Margaret and all of the girls look at her then Anne asks:

"What is it Eve?"

Eve takes a deep breath then says:

"The new chief of Staff…John McIntrye has asked me to go with him to the valentine's dance!"

They all say but Margaret:

"What?!"

Eve shakes her head then says:

"Yes, it's true! He asked me!"

The silly girl squeals with delight and Margaret considers the girls words then smiles and says:

"You know, I think I will come to that dance, as head nurse, I should be more sociable"

The other nurse's smile and Eve walks off with Anne still so excited she can't stand it then Margaret goes off down the other end of the hall and the red haired nurse says to another nurse:

"Jane?"

The other nurse looks up from the charts she is working on and she says:

"Yes?"

Jane keeps looking at Margaret walking further down the hallway but just to be safe, she tells her in a low voice for just them to hear:

"Don't you think it's strange how Miss Houlihan changed her mind about the dance when she heard that our chief of staff asked Eve to it?"

Jane and the other nurse look after Margaret walking down the hall and stopping at a empty gurney.

A week later, Margaret is in her room getting dressed for the 'social'. Clothes are scattered all over her room just like a nervous teenager because that's just how she feels. She keeps muttering "No, this isn't good", "Not bright enough", "Too bright".

Finally, she puts on a soft, yellow and green dress with a plunging neckline but it stops from being indecent. She looks at herself in the mirror and says to herself:

"What am I doing this for? It's not like I'm his date, I'm..I'm just going to check things out, be friendly…."

She does one last look in the mirror and turns herself around then goes and gets her white purse then leaves.

In his apartment, 'Trapper' is getting dressed, he goes into his little bathroom and starts to put cologne on but he stops and sniffs the cologne then asks himself:

"Do you think Margaret….Eve, her name is Eve, why did I say Margaret?"

He puts the cologne on himself then says again to no one but himself:

"She would never go out with you buddy not in a million years"

He straightens his tie and jacket then goes on out.

Later, at the dance, bright lights are on, soft 50's music is playing and a relaxed, happy feel is in the place, Margaret walks in and everybody looks at her and she can feel it, it makes her feel good. She scans the room and a light disappointment is in her being but she goes on around the room saying hello to nurse Anne, nurse Jane, mister Woods, other nurses and doctors and she finally gets to the punch table and she pours herself a drink and turns around and sees Trapper and Eve walk in the room. Eve is beaming from ear to ear like a silly school girl, Margaret thinks:

'_Has this girl been to medical school or did she just graduate high school?'_

Trapper looks around the room then he finally sees Margaret and he smiles and waves hello in a proper way. He then leads Eve to the dance floor and they begin dancing.

A few hours later, Margaret sits at a table by herself looking around at everything and everybody. Trapper and Eve stand next to the punch table, Eve has some punch in hand and Trapper just looks at Margaret then finally he tells Eve:

"I think before we leave, I'm going to go ask nurse Houlihan to dance"

Eve takes a sip of her punch then says:

"I think that's a great idea! She's only danced with mister Woods and a few other men"

Trapper smiles then straightens his tie and then he hears the d.j. say:

"This is a new song we are playing tonight…"

Trapper goes over to Margaret all the time thinking:

'_Maybe I shouldn't do this….this is not right'_

He gets to her table, holds out his hand to a surprised Margaret and she slowly gets up and the d.j. says:

"Let me know what you all think"

Just then the first notes to Elvis Presley's song 'Love Me' comes on and Trapper thinks:

'_A slow one! I knew I shouldn't have asked her…what if she thinks?..."_

Just then they hear the words:

"Treat me like a fool,

treat me mean and cruel,

But Love me.'

He holds Margaret's back and she feels his slight touch. She just begins to breathe:

"Wring my faithful heart,

Tear it all apart

But Love me.'

He says:

"Good party"

She just smiles and says:

"Um"

She immediately gets disgusted with herself and says:

'_Good one Margaret!' _

Elvis continues to sing:

'If you ever go,

Darling, I'll be so lonely.

I'll be sad & blue,

Crying over you, dear only'

She just lays her head on his chest and listen to the song:

'I would beg & steal

just to feel your heart

beating close to mine'

She sniffs his cologne then says:

"I like your cologne"

He smiles and says to himself:

"_Bingo!"_

Elvis croons the words out:

'Well, if your ever go

Darling, I'll be so lonely,

Crying over you, dear only'

Everybody stops and watches them with them not knowing as the song plays:

'I would beg & steal

Just to feel your heart

Beating close to mine'

No one speaks. Not Anne, not June, not mister Woods, not Trapper and certainly not Margaret as the lost words were sung:

'Well, if you ever go

Darling, I'll be so lonely,

All I ask is please,

Please, Love me

Oh Yeah'

They separate and clap and Trapper says:

"Thank you Margaret"

She just claps and nods her head and the D.J. asks:

"How did you like it?!!!"

Everybody just claps like thunder in the clouds.

**A/N---Well, how did you like it? I hope I did this chapter justice and Elvis. May he rest in peace. Please, Please, click and review!**


	4. Chapter 4 Road Trip

**A/N-This chapter contains the death of a beloved character, I feel bad doing it but it goes along with the story. Once again, I do not own any characters of M*A*S*H or anything. Just the idea of this storyline.**

**Please do not hate me!**

Trapper walks happily down the hallway of the hospital floor that he works on, he's just about to start whistling when he walks into the nurses/doctors lounge and he recognizes Margaret's figure standing beside a table. Her hair is in a bun and she wears her nurses uniform and he hears her soft sobs. He sees her holding a yellow sheet of paper which looks like a telegram. He softly walks over to her, looks at her then asks:

"Margaret?"

She looks at him, brings a tissue to her nose then sighs and tells him:

"Radar sent me a telegram, Colonel Potter died in his sleep"

She hands him the telegram and he reads it and looks at her then asks:

"This says the funeral is in a few days….are you going?"

She sniffs then sits down and says:

"Yes, I was going to Mister Woods when I quit crying so much…why didn't I go see him more? I just saw him once, called him almost every week but…."

He sits down, takes her hand in his and says:

"Hey, don't beat yourself up"

He looks at the letter again, thinks of something then casually asks Margaret:

"So when do you want to leave?"

His words slowly dawn on her then she asks:

"Do you want to go?"

He tells her:

"He was part of 4077th, I want to show my respects and…"

He laughs and tells Margaret:

"From the stories Hawkeye has told me, ha ha ha, I almost rolled when he told me Frank's face when he first realized that Potter was going to put up with Klinger in his own way!"

Margaret has a good belly laugh then when the laughter dies down, she looks at Trapper then says:

"You've changed"

He looks at her then scratches his throat then clears it then says:

"Yes, I guess I have, excuse me, I'll go talk to Mister Woods then make the flight"

She quickly looks up and at him then says:

"Oh please, let's drive, Hannibal isn't that far away, I..I don't like to fly much these days"

He then says:

"Okay, a drive will be good"

He gets up to go to Mister Woods office and Margaret gets up to go get some coffee when several of the nurses comes in. Nurse Jane, Nurse Anne and Nurse Eve, Anne looks at Margaret and sees her tears and red face and asks:

"Ma'm? are you okay?"

Margaret pours the coffee in the cup and reaches for a stirrer then says:

"Oh yes, I just got some news of a death in the family"

Anne says:

"I'm sorry"

Anne goes over and sits with the other nurses then says:

"So tell us Eve, about the other night with Doctor McIntrye"

Margaret's ears perk up and Eve, the high school nurse you could say giggles, Margaret rolls her eyes and Eve says:

"It was great! But…Doctor McIntrye never did even kiss me!"

Jane says:

"What?"

Eve shakes her head and says:

"It's true, not even a small kiss"

Jane says:

"Oh, I'm sorry"

Eve tells them:

"I'm not, we went to this diner and he introduced me to this other guy who owns the place, Adam is his name, he's great! And he's already called me twice!"

Anne smiles and says:

"So it's worked out for the best, I'm glad for you Eve"

Margaret takes her coffee outside and looks back at the nurses and thinks:

'_I guess he has changed'_

Trapper comes up to her and says:

"Mister Woods was fine with it, in fact, he says we can leave as soon as possible"

Margaret takes a sip of her coffee and says:

"It's okay for us both to go?"

Trapper shakes his head and says:

"He understands, this was our c.o, well, yours, he doesn't have to know that I wasn't there when Colonel Potter was"

They both laugh and Margaret thinks to herself:

'_In some ways, he is still the same 'Trapper'_

He then asks her:

"Do you want to go in your car or mine?"

She thinks then asks:

"Can we go in yours? Mine is acting funny"

He says:

"Sure, sure, I'll pick up first thing in the morning"

She throws her cup away, and he walks down the hall.

He picks her up the next morning at 7:00, they were both buddle up in jackets and gloves as it was the heart of a cold winter in Chicago. Margaret saw Trapper's car and she smiled. He pulls the car over to the curb and goes and gets her suitcases and puts them in the backseat and Margaret says:

"Thank you!"

He waves her off and just says:

"Get in!"

The wind is blowing fierce and he runs and gets in and says:

"I'm turning the heat up"

He slides a button to high and Margaret shakes her head and he says:

"On to Hannibal"

She thinks and asks:

"Who will be there I wonder?"

He pulls out and onto the road and says:

"I talked to Hawkeye last night, Radar and Klinger are trying to get in touch with everybody"

She cocks her eye and asks:

"Everybody?"

He understands her question and says:

"No word on Ferret face, at least that I know of"

She just rubs her hands and watches the traffic as they go.

As they cross the Missouri state line, he clears his throat then says:

"You know back there when you said I've changed?"

She looks at him and picks up her coffee that they got at a gas station at a gas station back down the road then asks:

"Yes?"

He shifts his body then says:

"I don't know how much but…I don't drink…as much anymore…I think the last time I got drunk was when Louise and I split up"

She takes a sip of her coffee then says:

"You know, I just thought of it, neither have I, I think I had a glass of champagne with my father last New Year's Eve"

He looks at her then says:

"I think I just drank too much in Korea"

Margaret smiles then says:

"We all did Trapper, we all did"

He sees a sign with the mileage to Hannibal then says:

"It won't be long until we get to Hannibal"

She takes a sip of her coffee then says:

"I wish we didn't have to"

He looks at her then looks out at the road.

They drive up to the first Presbyterian church of Hannibal, Missouri the next day. Trapper parks the car, looks at Margaret in her soft black skirt and top with a collar of white and the red eyes already on her face. He sighs and they get out, they walk up to the church and Hawkeye comes. Just as handsome in his black suit & tie and he and Trapper shake hands, he hugs Margaret and he says trying to fight back tears:

"This is not the reunion I want"

Margaret shifts her feet and says:

"I know"

He sniffs then says:

"Mrs. Potter has asked me to speak…I, I don't know if I can"

She smiles and says:

"Yes, you can, you gave that eulogy to that nurse in Korea and you barely knew her"

He shakes his head in the affirmative then Radar and Klinger walks up. Klinger says:

"Ma'm"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Klinger, we're not in Korea anymore, it's Margaret"

They all smile and Klinger and Margaret hug then Margaret asks Radar:

"Radar, do, do you know what happened"

He shakes his head then says:

"He went into his office to take a nap and later Mrs. Potter went in and…"

He breaks off into a sob and Trapper hugs him and he says:

"I think it's starting, let's go"

They all silently turn and go in the church. Trapper and Margaret go to sit in the 3rd pew from the front, Hawkeye goes to the front to sit in a chair. The casket is closed and a picture of Colonel Sherman Potter of him on Sophie sits silently beside the casket. Margaret grips Trapper's hand for support, he doesn't mind.

The pall bears come in, Margaret sees one of them as Colonel Potter's grandson and a tall man as his son-in-law. _**Just as I am**_ begins to play and more tears come from everybody. As the last note is played, another tall man, Margaret figures the pastor of the church stands up and comes to the front and clears his throat and says:

"Um, Sherman Potter was born in Hannibal, Missouri in 1888, died in February 1957, he was 69 years old. Having entered the Calvary as a teenager, he had been in the army all his life. He was in World War 1 and 2, he was also in Korea where he served with many of you. He was a loving father and Husband to Mildred Potter.. he was a member of our church for over 50 years, never held a office in the church because he was always gone in the army but we all loved him as did you all. Mrs. Potter has asked Hawkeye Pierce to say a few words then Mrs. Potter would like to say a few words"

He motions for Hawkeye to come up and he does. All is silent and they hear the doors to the church open and in walks B. J. Hunnicutt with his beautiful, pregnant wife, the tears on his face match everybody else's. He sits down in the back. Nobody notices Frank Burns slip in the side of the church and sits down quietly studying everybody else.

Hawkeye clears his throat then says:

"Mrs. Potter asked me to say a few words about her husband…I don't know if I can…bear with me, Colonel Potter came just after Henry left and was then killed…none of us knew about this man and wasn't sure about him. But it wasn't long that this, kind, gentle giant of a man captured us…"

Margaret is watching the Army men all there, Generals, Majors, other Colonel's, all with tears in their eyes which are supposed to be so cold.

"He wasn't by the book as some would hope…he used gentle ways to mold us, to get us to do exactly what he wanted without us knowing it. He somehow became a father figure to us all when insanity was in the world….there is no words to describe this man. You were all in his life, you know him, that's all I can say….I asked General Macy to help me with what I want to do for Colonel Potter, it's the last thing B.J. and I did back in Korea…"

B.J.'s face brightens up and he looks at Peg and then a General in his late 50's stands up, looks at everybody and yells at his loudest voice:

"Salute!"

Margaret gasps, her hands reaches for her throat and then after a few seconds, everyone stands up and she doesn't know who started it…Kellye she thinks? Starts clapping and clapping, it begins to sound like a roar that never stops. Her tears start rolling and she feels the proudest she ever has.

After the claps died down, a tiny, but proud woman walks up there holding Sherman's Calvary hat, she steps up to the front, runs her hand over his hat and sighs, puts it down on the table then says:

"I am Mildred Potter…some of you know me and some of you may not…I won't be long because I know this is a tiring day for all of us…"

She glides her hand again over his hat then starts her speech again:

"I just wanted all of you to know that he never forgot any of you, he kept track of everyone, he had newspaper subscriptions from San Francisco,…"

B. J. smiles at Peg…

"Chicago…."

Margaret looks at Trapper:

"Boston"

Charles just sits immobilized:

"Toledo"

Klinger just sits and cries as does Radar when she mentions Ottumwa::

"And even Crabapple Cove"

Hawkeye just smiles. And a thought comes to Frank Burns:

'_Did he keep up with me?'_

As if to answer his unspoken question, Mildred says:

"Yes, even Indiapolios

Frank doesn't know what to say. Mildred says:

"He kept the picture that he made of Hawkeye and the rest of you in his office that he went home in, so you were always with him…Hawkeye, I want to thank you for your kinds words and action in giving the speech and I want to see you right after"

Everybody looks at Hawkeye like a student being called to the principal's office and Hawkeye's face says:_ What did I do?_ Mlildred concludes by saying:

"Thank you all for being a part of Colonel Sherman Potter's life"

More thunderous applause happens as she steps down.

Everybody goes out to the cemetery but Mildred stops Hawkeye and hands him Sherman's Calvary hat and she signals for Klinger and he gives him the rest of the outfit. Hawkeye humbly takes it and Mildred goes and sits down in a chair under a canopy…they bury Sherman then a officer bends down and hands Mildred a American states flag and taps is played. A fitting memorial for a fine man.

**A/N I just wanted to let people know, that this was a hard chapter for me. I had to take breaks from it so I would quit crying! It's a hard chapter but I felt it for the story. I'll try not to be so depressing in the rest of the story.**


	5. Chapter 5 Back in Chicago

Trapper drives the car going down the streets of Chicago, he looks over and sees Margaret asleep on the passenger side. He looks around and sees where he wants to go. Adam's Ribs Diner-he pulls in a parking space then stops the car, leans over and shakes Margaret and says:

"We're here"

Margaret wakes up, shakes the cobwebs out of her eyes then asks:

"Why are we here?"

Trapper shrugs his shoulders and says:

"It's on the way home and I thought we would stop and eat"

Margaret shakes her head yes at his words and they both get out of the car and go in.

They look around and see one table already occupied so Trapper says:

"Let's go sit at that booth"

They go over and Margaret slides in one side and Trapper in the other and just then they hear** 'Blueberry Hill' by Fats Domino** and they look around and see a juke box and Trapper hollers out:

"Hey Adam!"

This guy sticks his head out from behind the counter and he yells back:

"Yeah?"

Trapper asks him:

"When did you get the juke box?"

Adam looks at it then says:

"It's been in a few days now, while you guys were out of town"

Trapper looks at Margaret and says out loud to Adam:

"We had a funeral to go to"

Adam says:

"I'm sorry but sit back and enjoy the music! My gal says it adds something to the place"

Trapper leans over and whispers to Margaret:

"It adds something, I'm just not sure what it is"

Margaret stifles a giggle then the same weary eyed teen age waitress comes over and asks:

"What will you have?"

Trapper tells her:

"Rib for me…"

He looks at Margaret and asks:

"Margaret?"

She tells the waitress:

"I'll have the same with a glass of water"

She writes down the order in a hurry then says:

"It'll be right out"

Trapper then says:

"With the slaw!"

The waitress shakes her head then leaves and then Margaret hears:

"Miss Houlihan! Mister McIntrye!"

Margaret and Trapper look up to see the 'High school nurse', Eve, bounce over to them and she says:

"Hi!"

Margaret puts on her best plastic smile and Trapper waves and then Margaret says:

"Eve! What are you doing here?"

Eve looks around then says:

"Oh, today's my day off so I thought I would come and help Adam out"

She sees Adam back in the kitchen fixing the ribs and the waitress brings them over their glasses of water and leaves then Margaret asks:

"Who is that girl?"

Eve looks at the waitress going to the counter to do something and Eve bends down to whisper to Margaret:

"That's Marcy, Adam's daughter, she's so weird!"

Eve rolls her fingers by her head and points to Marcy and Margaret and Trapper laugh then Eve says:

"I'm so glad you two are back! It's been SO hectic while you were gone!"

Margaret looks at Trapper and says:

"Well, we're back!"

Eve says:

"Thank God! Now maybe Anne will lighten up!"

More customers come in and Eve says:

"Ooops, I have to go, see you guys later!"

She waves goodbye to them and she bounces off to the customers and Trapper says:

"I do believe we'll see a wedding in six months"

Margaret picks up her knife and taps it on the table and says:

"I'll say two months, I know that type"

Trapper laughs and says:

"You're on, winner will buy lunch here"

She puts her hand out to shake his then says:

"You're on"

They shake hands and then she asks Trapper in a whisper:

"Why did you ever go out with her?"

Trapper looks at her then says:

"Oh, I mainly wanted to hook her up with Adam, I knew they were right for each other, we've become good friends since I have started eating here regularly"

Margaret smiles and the waitress brings them their freshly made ribs and they don't waste time eating.

The next morning, Margaret comes out of her apartment building down to her car, a 1947 two door Coupe, she quickly gets in and turns the key and she hears the engine just barely starting then it starts spitting and she says:

"Oh no! not now!"

It dies on her and she hits the steering wheel with her hand then looks at her building and gets out, goes up the stairs and to the right, she goes to the first apartment, knocks on the door and a Italian lady comes to the door, Margaret tells her:

"Mrs. Gerdandy, my car won't start, can I come in and use your phone?"

She Italian lady speaks a few words in Italian then moves back and walks off saying Italian swear words that Margaret has no idea about. Margaret goes to the phone and says to herself:

"I hope I can remember his number"

She closes her eyes to think then she dials a number and a few seconds later says:

"Trapper? It's Margaret, can you come pick me up? I had some car trouble, thank you"

She hangs up and hears Mrs. Gerdandy still talking Italian swear words to nobody that Margaret can see so she smiles, puts back on her glove and quietly goes out.

A few minutes later, Trapper drives up and he gets out of his warm car, goes to Margaret and says:

"What's wrong with it?"

She shrugs her shoulders and says:

"I don't know, it just coughed and sputtered and died"

He looks at the car and says:

"I can tell you one thing, this thing is ten years old!"

She tells him:

"It's all I could afford at the time, I bought it before the war"

He says:

"Uh huh, well, get in my car, we'll take it to a mechanic after work"

She gets in and she doesn't hear him say under his breath:

"If we can still find one to work on that"

He gets in and drives them both to the hospital.

Over the next few weeks, he takes Margaret grocery shopping, to run errands here and there but she always seems to stop him at the front of her building or either at the door of her apartment. He never goes in and he slightly wonders why but he shrugs it off.

And then the next day….


	6. Chapter 6 Car Shopping

**I guess I'm making these 'filler' chapters before I get to any more real emotional ones since the funeral. But I hope ya'll will enjoy this one!**

A hurried knock came on Margaret's door, banging several times until Margaret came dragging herself out of the bedroom. She was muttering to herself and putting on her robe and she stepped on _something_ and looked around her living room and kitchen before going to the door and when she opened it, she got a surprise! It was 'Trapper' John! He wore a tan overcoat and she said:

"Trapper, I wasn't working today..."

He looked at her and said:

"Neither am I....look, can you meet me downstairs in ten minutes?"

She looks around then says:

"Make it fifteen"

He shakes his head then says:

"Deal"

She closes the door and shakes her head but smiles and goes on to her bedroom.

Trapper waits down stairs in the lobby but he can still manage to see Margaret's room since it is like the very first room up a small flight of stairs. He goes over to get the morning's newspaper out of a news stand in the lobby when he sees a much older Italian woman, he thinks he remembers Margaret introducing her as Mrs. Gergandy but he's not sure but what intrigues him is that the little old lady is going to Margaret's door:

'_What's she doing? Margaret never lets anybody in....must be borrowing a cup of sugar'_

He goes on to read the news of the day.

More than fifteen minutes later, Margaret comes out and Trapper sees her and goes and opens the lobby door for her and they both go down to his car and get in. Trapper starts the conversation by saying:

"Sure doesn't feel like spring is coming"

She closes the door and says:

"As far as the weather, I don't see much difference in Korea and Chicago"

He smiles and drives off and Margaret asks:

"Where are we going?"

He looks over at her and tells her:

"I called the mechanics about your car"

She looks at him and asks:

"I think they have all but given up...I think they are calling somebody to do last rites"

She stifles a giggle by putting one of her gloved hands to her mouth and says:

"It was a good car"

He scratches his head then says:

"I'm sure it was, in it's day...."

They stop at a traffic light and he continues:

"When I first got to Chicago, I had a different car..."

She looks at him and the traffic light changes color and they go on and Trapper continues:

"On the very first road into Chicago, I'm not sure what happened but I was in a traffic accident..."

She looks at him with her eyes wide and he continues:

"The car was totaled but somehow I walked away without a scratch, you can check with traffic control if you want to but here I was in Chicago, big city, no job and now no car but..."

He turns left then continues:

"I somehow find this car lot and got this..."

He hits the steering wheel then asks Margaret:

"It's a beauty isn't it?"

She really looks at the car and says:

"Yes, it is, what is it?"

He looks at her then says:

"1957 Chrysler 300 C"

She looks at the whole car then says:

"It really is a fine car, where did you get it?"

They pull into a car lot full of new and older models of the 1950's and he says:

"Here we are, they call themselves 'The Best Car Lot in town..."

She looks at him and he says:

"They really do give you good deals here"

They get out and Margaret looks at the line of new cars and Trapper asks:

"See anything you like?"

She smiles and says:

"Yes, let's go check this one out"

They go over to a 1957 Nash Ambassador Super Sedan 4 door and he says:

"That's a good car"

He goes around and kicks the tires and says:

"Good heavy tires"

She goes over and looks inside while Trapper looks around the lot then sees looking at the far end of the lot, a tall, beautiful blond haired lady with her hair bordering on red and he looks puzzled and he goes down to her. Margaret sees and tries and just continues to look over the car while watching Trapper, Trapper gets close to her and says:

"Excuse me but you seem familiar, do I…?"

She turns to face him and he sees her gold name tag-'Lorraine'

"Lorraine? Lorraine Blake?"

Her eyes widen and she says:

"Yes?"

He starts laughing and she looks at him as if he is crazy then he says:

"I'm 'Trapper' John McIntrye, I served with Henry in Korea"

She smiles and starts laughing herself and they hug and he turns and shouts to Margaret:

"Margaret!"

He waves her over after she gets some car keys from the salesman and cautiously walks over and he says:

"This is Lorraine Blake, Henry's wife!"

She says:

"Oh! Pleased to meet you!"

As Margaret and Lorraine shake hands, Trapper tells her:

"This is Margaret Houlihan, she was head nurse at 4077th"

Lorraine smiles and says:

"It's nice to meet you both, Henry wrote about the both of you"

Trapper asks:

"What are you doing here?"

Lorraine says:

"I just moved to Chicago a few weeks ago, I-I moved from Bloomington, just to many memories"

Margaret shakes her head and says:

"I understand"

Lorraine continues to say:

"I work over at the coffee and donut shop across the street until I get something else"

Trapper asks her:

"How are the kids?"

She shakes her head then says:

"The girls are doing okay, they had a hard time accepting that daddy wasn't coming home, I couldn't understand it either for a long time and Andrew never got to know his father"

Margaret and Trapper look at each other and Margaret says:

"It's so good to see you Lorraine"

Trapper shakes his head then asks:

"Where are you staying?"

Lorraine tells them:

"With my sister…she's also looking for me a better job"

Margaret says:

"Good, good"

Just then the salesman says:

"Ma'm!"

Margaret turns to look at him and she says:

"Oh!"

She turns back to Trapper and Lorraine and says:

"I'm sorry Lorraine to go but I am trying out this car…Trapper, could you come with me?"

He shakes his head yes then says to Lorraine:

"Yeah, it was great to see you Lorraine"

She smiles and shakes her head then says:

"It was good to see friends of Henry's"

Trapper and Margaret leave while Lorraine goes back to looking at cars.

A little while later, Margaret is driving the car and Trapper looks out the window wistfully and Margaret can't help but notice and says:

"Trapper?"

He asks:

"Hm?"

Worried what is on his mind, Margaret thinks before asking him:

'_Is he thinking of her?'_

She comes out of her thoughts and asks him:

"Are you okay?"

He doesn't want her to know his thoughts but he thinks:

'_What is behind that door? Why won't she let me in?'_

He quickly says:

"I was just thinking about that burn case at the hospital, it's the first burn case I have worked on since leaving Korea"

Margaret nods her head then he asks:

"What do you think of the car?"

Smiling like a little girl, she says:

"I love it but I also want to go try out that other one"

He nods his head and Margaret looks at him, then trying to lift his spirits some, she says:

"I think I'll try the radio"

Hoping for some good, smoothing music, the news comes on:

"This is Les Kestel with today's news, the Soviet Union launches Sputnik artificial Satellite. 9 black students were barred from entering a formally all white school- Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. President Eisenhower uses troops to secure the entry. And Britain tests it first hydrogen bomb. Locally, this station has just learned that Saint Angela Merici's hospital…."

She starts to turn it off when Trapper says:

"Hold it!"

She then really pays attention:

"Saint Angela Merici's hospital has just be awarded the best hospital in Chicago much in thanks to new administer Ronald Woods, Chief of Staff John McIntrye and Head Nurse Margaret Houlihan…this is a turn around for the hospital because a few short months ago this hospital was the doom of everybody in Chicago…."

Margaret clicks it off and they start shouting in joy and Margaret claps her hands quickly and then puts them back on the steering wheel and Trapper yells:

"This is great!"

She says:

"Oh, I can't believe it!"

Trapper turns to her and says:

"I can because we are the best!"

Margaret says:

"Oh, let's go back and try that other one now"

He excitedly tells her:

"Okay, we ought to drive all over the state!"

She turns the car around heading back to the car lot.

**A/N—Okay, this is where you guys come in, should Margaret get the 1957 Nash 4 door or a 1957 Chevrolet? You guys tell me in your next review! I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the cars on my site but I don't know how to do that yet! Please google them and tell me! Oh, and all the news, all that did happen in 1957, I'm just not sure of the months. Hope you all liked this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7 Always expect the Unexpected

**A/N- I'm back with another chapter, I tried to wait until all the votes are in but I just can't! I even tried working on another story but I just love doing this one so much! This chapter goes a step toward Margaret and Trapper relationship, please enjoy.**

Margaret sees Trapper in the hallway looking at some charts and she puts the envelope she has in her hand in the pocket of her nurse's jacket and she smiles then she goes up to him and gets out the envelope and sticks it under his nose. He looks at her curiously then asks:

"What's this?"

Still smiling she says:

"It's a invitation, wedding invitation to our very own nurse Eve and Adam"

He looks around then opens the envelope and Margaret says:

"They are to be married in two months, the first weekend in June"

He reads the invitation then she says:

"You do know what this means don't you? I win the bet"

He rolls his eyes then says:

"Yeah, yeah"

Smirking because she knows he really is a sore loser, she continues to tease him:

"And tonight, I want ribs, a whole rack with slaw and I think maybe a drink"

He turns to go to a room and Margaret follows him teasing him:

"I may not eat lunch today, I may eat a lot tonight, I might have to get a second order"

He just says:

"I better go to rounds"

She can't help but laugh as he goes off.

It was after work that day and Trapper was waiting for Margaret in front of Adam's Ribs, it was now Spring time so it was pleasant to wait for her there…he hadn't really minded her teasing him he thought, it was almost refreshing to see Margaret laugh. He sat down on the old leather bench that Adam had put there for customers to sit on but Trapper couldn't help but think:

'_He needs to get something without holes, that would be nice'_

The moment he sat down, he heard a female voice calling to him and he knew it wasn't Margaret:

"John McIntrye!"

He looked up to see this tall, voluminous, red headed woman and his memory faded for a minute and he had to search who it was but the though finally dawned on him:

"Mildred Feeney?"

She smiles and says:

"You do remember me"

He awkwardly shakes her hand and she asks:

"How long have you been in Chicago?"

He thinks about it then says:

"Since the first of the year"

She smiles and asks:

"Why haven't you called?"

He shrugs his shoulders and says:

"I'm chief surgeon over at St. Angela Mercici's hospital, haven't had the time"

In truth, Trapper was thinking_:_

'_Why would I call you? Now that I'm really looking, what did I see in her?'_

She sits down beside him and says:

"Well, now, we can get reacquainted"

He nervously says:

"Yeah"

Sweat begins to pour from him.

Margaret begins to walk down the steps from her building and she looks around at the bright blue sky and feels the fresh air and she thinks to herself:

"_Oh, I know I got a brand new car but I want to walk! It's so beautiful today and it's not that far to Adam's Ribs'._

So she closes the front door to her apartment building and goes down the steps, takes a deep breath then continues down the street.

Mildred inches herself closer to 'Trapper' John, he looks beside him and picks up a clean 'Adam's Rib' napkin and dabs his forehead and mouth while the red haired lady next to him speaks in a stupid seductive tone:

"Why don't we go back to my place and get more reacquainted Big John?"

Trapper nervously laughs then says:

"Um, I'm meeting someone Mildred"

She pouts her little lip then says:

"Oh, shoot, we'll we can snuggle up right here"

She gets so close to him, the last rays of sunlight from that day can't get through and then he tries to back away but she grabs his light jacket and brings him closer.

Margaret crosses the street and gets even closer to the diner when she sees something:

'_What is that? That's a brazen scene, that woman openly grabbing that man and bringing him in for a kiss'_

Just then Margaret realizes who it is as she gets closer:

"Trapper!"

Trapper breaks away from the clutches of the smutty woman and he hollers:

"Margaret!"

Margaret turns on her heels and runs back for her apartment and Trapper tries to follow her.

**A/N---For those of you who might not know, Mildred Feeney was the red haired woman that Trapper got to pick up the ribs in 'Adam's Rib' Episode. When I was doing research, I found and I agree that the writers or somebody must have loved the name Mildred, Louise was Mildred in one episode, Mildred Potter and now the slut named Mildred.**


	8. Chapter 8 Discoveries

**A/N--Okay, this is the chapter that we all have been waiting for!! And we will find out what's behind the door. I LOVE writing this**

Trapper just threw down the 'Adam's Ribs' napkin that he had in his hand on a confused and hurt Mildred but he didn't care, he ran and got in his car thinking that would be quicker to catch up to Margaret.

Margaret ran blindly down the street back to her apartment, she barely noticed the other cars as she crossed the streets. All she knew was that she was hurt, feeling betrayed.

Trapper tried going and he was going well at first but then a mild traffic jam stopped him, all he could do was sit and fume for awhile.

Margaret ran into her building not caring who saw her, she just ran to her apartment first.

That traffic jam only lasted a few minutes, thank God, he was going down her street and finally saw one parking space at the end and he pulled in there. He got out and didn't even bother locking the door, he just went.

Margaret opened the door and went in there crying and she thought:

_'How could I do it? How could I think he changed? how...'_

Just then her door bursts open and there stands Trapper with his breath almost gone and a worried look and Margaret just looks outraged and says:

"How dare you! how dare you just come busting in here like that after what I just saw!"

He stands aback and says:

"What you just saw?"

She sucks in her breath and says:

"Yes! you and that...strumpet...."

He looks around the room and says:

"You think me and Tomato head would do anything?"

Just then Margaret hears a little voice:

"Mommy? why are you crying?"

Margaret and Trapper look at a sleepy little 3 year old girl with long shiny black hair and she is rubbing the sleepy out of her small eyes and Margaret smiles through the tears and says:

"Mommy just doesn't feel good"

Trapper walks over to the little girl with his mind suddenly reeling and the little girl asks:

"Who are you?"

Margaret looks at them both and she says:

"This is Mommy's friend, Trapper....Trapper, this is Holly"

He looks back at Margaret then at Holly, barely comprehending it all but manages to say:

"Hello, it's nice to meet you Holly"

She giggles like a innocent 3 year old then says:

"Mommy calls me Pierce"

Trapper then sees Holly's eyes. They are a pair of sky blue eyes that could pierce a soul and then it s-l-o-w-l-y dawns on him who this child belongs to. He sucks his breath in and then a woman who lays beside Holly sleeping draws herself up, it's Mrs. Gergandy. She looks at Margaret and says something in Italian and Margaret says:

"It's all right Mrs. Gergandy, can you take Holly to her bedroom?"

Mrs. Gergandy just continues to talk in Italian saying what some would guess is cuss words. Margaret just smiles and walks with the old lady and the little girl back to her room and gives the little girl a kiss on the head and shoos her inside and Margaret walks back over to Trapper and unsure of what to say, she just stops in front of him with her heart beating wildly and she looks around her living room and he says:

"Holy Cow Margaret! That's Hawkeye's kid!"

She sighs then steadies herself then says:

"I know"

Not meaning to sound harsh, he asks:

"How? When? Wha…?"

She gives another sigh then says with a heavy heart:

"The last night at the 4077th, colonel Potter asked all of us to gather in the mess tent…to just be together and share what we plan to do with ourselves after…"

She stops and goes around the room, looks at a picture of herself and Holly on the mantel then continues her story:

"Later that night, Hawkeye came to my tent, I was about to go to bed but…he came and…"

Margaret stops and she sighs and looks around the room and Trapper's heart beats wildly and he carefully asks the next question:

"Do you love him?"

Her heart thumps against her chest and she thinks on that then looks around the room and softly says:

"No"

Her hand inches towards Trapper's and he understands her silent meaning and he smiles then she asks:

"What about Lorraine?"

He looks at her like he doesn't understand the words then he shakes the cobwebs out of his ears and asks with shock in his voice:

"What?"

She almost regrets her asking but she plunges on ahead:

"Lorraine, I-I saw you looking at her the other day"

He smiles then says:

"Margaret, the woman is still in mourning, I can tell from her talking…she still wears Henry's wedding ring"

Margaret finally turns to face him whole then says in a soft voice:

"I think we have a lot to talk about"

He warmly smiles and this time he touches her hand and says:

"I think we do too"

She goes and makes them coffee and they sit down at her little round table and he asks:

"Does Hawkeye know about Holly?"

She looks at Holly's door and then turns back to Trapper and says:

"No"

He looks at the scratches on the table and asks:

"Does anybody?"

She goes and gets the coffee and goes back to the table and sits down and says:

"Colonel Potter knew, he was trying to get me to go tell him, I didn't get to tell him, I would"

She starts crying and Trapper softly consoles her then asks:

"So when are you?"

She jerks her head up and says:

"This summer, will, will you go with me?"

His heart leaps for joy and he wants to scream yes! But he just calms himself down and says:

"Yes"

She takes a sip of her coffee then says:

"You know he, Colonel Potter loved Holly like his own grandchild"

Trapper smiles then asks:

"Why did you keep her a secret?"

Margaret shakes her head and says:

"I don't know, I just wanted to keep her to myself for awhile but she now needs to know her father"

Trapper sips his coffee then says:

"He will not be happy…oh, he'll love her and Daniel, talk about grandfathers!"

He rolls his eyes then sips his coffee and he and Margaret look at each other then they silently go to the living room with their coffee, sit down on the couch and talk. About anything and everything, Trapper gets up after a while and starts a fire in the fireplace because even tho it is the feeling of Spring in the air, a chill still comes in the night…he starts the fire and he goes back to Margaret and they sit back in each others arm and let the flames warm their bodies and soul.

After a while, they both get up and Trapper says:

"I better go"

She just softly says:

"Okay"

He turns and looks at her in the eyes and bends over and sweetly kisses her lips, she lets out a little gasp at the shock of the pleasure of it then he brushes her cheeks with his lips then leaves.

Margaret turns around smiling and gets her coffee cup off the table then goes back to her kitchen and pours herself another cup of coffee and sits at the table and thinks:

'_I didn't tell Trapper all that happened that night'_

She remembers Hawkeye opening the door with only a small soft knock, he came in the tent and looked at her. No words needed to be spoken by either of them, he just came and kissed her, she wasn't shocked, angry, whatever….he just kissed her out of need…passion, his kisses became harder, more passionate, more frenzied as time went by, she reached to take her shirt off and he just jerked his off, clothes went flying and he took her to the bed and ever so gently laid her down and explored her body with his lips then finally…

A knock comes at the door jerking her out of her memories and she goes to the door and when she opens it, there stands Trapper! He asks her:

"Can I use your phone? I think my car was just stolen"

She stands back and lets him come in, and she closes the door and just smiles at him.


	9. Chapter 9 Little Darling

**Disclaimer---I do not own any rights to the show M*A*S*H in the form of characters or whatnot, I just have a story idea in my head that needs to get out. I also don't own any rights to songs in this story ( sniff, sniff).**

A week after Margaret and Trapper had their talk, a** 1957 Nash Ambassador Super sedan 4 door 8 cylinder** drives up on and parks backwards on the left side and then a **1957 Chevrolet 210 4 door with bright red paint job** drives up and backs in the same way as the Nash only on the right side. Margaret gets out of the Nash and Trapper out of the Chevy and they look at each other and smile and Trapper watches Holly get out of the passenger side of her car of her mom's and Trapper asks Margaret:

"You know you had a passenger?"

Margaret looks at her young daughter and says:

"I thought it was about time I introduced her to my co-workers"

Holly runs up to catch up with her momma, takes her hand, and smiles at Trapper and he says:

"Good morning Holly"

She smiles shyly and Margaret looks back at Trapper's car and just says one word:

"Red?"

He smiles and looks at his car then says:

"You're not the only one who can be proud of his car"

She laughs and goes to the hospital's entrance and opens it and her daughter goes in, then she does and Trapper. A thought comes to his mind:

_'She seems more relaxed, more....I have never seen her so light and happy'_

They go in and all the nurses and other doctors turn to see the threesome come in.

Nurse Anne comes up to Margaret with a smile on her face and they both watch Holly charm the other nurses and doctors with her innocent laughter and spirit. Holly sits on a chair, twirling it back and fourth between nurse Jane and nurse Eve then Anne coughs then asks Margaret:

"Ma'm?"

Margaret turns to her and says gently:

"It's Margaret"

Nurse Anne smiles and asks:

"Is she adopted?"

This time Margaret looks at the floor and smiles sheepishly then says:

"No, she's mine"

Anne continues to look at Holly then sees Eve click on a little radio and the song **' Little Darling' by the Diamonds** comes on and she says:

"I just thought that since you never bought her around before that…."

Margaret interrupts her by saying:

"That was my fault, I guess I was just being selfish, keeping her to myself like I did but now…"

Margaret turns to Anne and says:

"Everybody needs to know her"

They both turn and watch as Holly jumps down and runs around. Margaret then turns around and looks down the hall and sees Trapper John talking to a very familiar woman, Lorraine Blake! Margaret thinks then straightens her jacket and goes down, smiles and says:

"Hi"

Both Lorraine and Trapper look at Margaret and Lorraine says "Hi' and Trapper says:

"Louise just became Mr. Woods assistant"

Margaret says:

"I didn't even know he was looking for one"

Lorraine says almost in a low whisper:

"Well, from what I hear, the last secretary was, well…"

Just then nurse Jane comes up and says:

"She was a pain in the…."

Just then Holly shows up and Jane catches herself and says:

"In the rear"

Everybody laughs and then Margaret asks:

"But still how did you know when none of us did?"

Lorraine smiles and sips her coffee that she picks up beside her then says:

"Ron Woods is my brother-in-law, I told you my sister was looking for me a job, she just added a little pressure and Ron gladly obliged"

Everybody laughs at that and Margaret looks at Holly then Trapper and says:

"John, could you take Holly and show her other places?"

He stands up and says:

"Sure…want to go with me Holly?"

She gladly says:

"Yes!"

He gets her little hand and they follow directions to the cafeteria and Margaret turns to Lorraine and looks down at the floor then back up at Lorraine then says:

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for not being…friendlier at our last meeting"

Lorraine sips her coffee then says:

"Well, I had a feeling it had something to do with Trapper"

Margaret blushes then says:

"Yes"

Lorraine throws her coffee cup in a garbage can then says:

"I'm not interested in him"

Margaret just says:

"I know"

Lorraine looks around then says:

"She really is a beautiful girl"

Margaret beams with motherly pride then says:

"Oh, thank you"

Margaret looks around then asks:

"Have you found a place to live?"

Lorraine shakes her head sadly and says:

"No, we're still living with Ron and my sister"

Margaret thinks then says:

"I think I might know of a place, I heard the building next to mine has a vacant spot, might be worth checking out"

Lorraine's face lights up and she says:

"Oh please! Give me the address!"

They go into Lorraine's office space and Lorraine goes straight for some paper & pencil.

In the middle of the afternoon, Margaret has a sleepy Holly draped over her shoulders and she is going to her car and struggling to get her keys out. Trapper comes up running to her and in a low voice says:

"She's had it hasn't she?"

Margaret smiles then says:

"I'm going to take her home to Mrs. Gergandy"

Trapper opens the back seat and Margaret puts Holly down and gives Holly a plush white blanket that Holly pulls up next to her in sleep. Margaret slowly and quietly closes the door and she says to Trapper:

"Thank you"

He shrugs his shoulders and as Margaret walks around to the drivers side, he asks:

"Um, Margaret, I was just wondering…is Holly the reason you left the Army?"

She smiles and turns to him and says:

"Yes,….Um, I had planned to have Holly then get a nanny but…as soon as she was born and I looked into those eyes, I knew I didn't want to go from country to country and if I went to another war, a nanny would raise her, I couldn't stand that idea so…I left"

He smiles and looks around the garage full of cars then she says:

"I'll be back soon"

He bends over and kisses her cheeks and she blushes and goes and gets in her car with her spirits soaring.

**A/N—I know this was a short chapter but I wanted to show the change in Margaret, tell me what you think! And there was one little something in the chapter I hope you all caught, tell me what you think it is!**

**Also in a future chapter, not one soon, do you guys think I should put in a appearance by B.J. Hunnicut? Would it be too much, what do you guys think?**


	10. Chapter 10 A Day OUt

**Thank you to ALL who have reviewed! I really love it and this chapter is for all of you.** **Disclaimer—I do NOT claim rights to anything in this story, least of all a beloved comic book character from that era.**

Trapper, Margaret and Holly are all walking to a area filled with games, music and food and noise. A carnival. Margaret has on the knee lengths shorts of the time, and Holly has on a darling red dress with black dots sewed all over the dress and a black belt and small bows on the puffed up sleeves and a black hair brad holding her hair back and Margaret asks:

"Are you sure you want to do this John?"

He looks taken aback then says:

"Do what? have fun?"

She smiles then says:

"Well, it's a little bit different taken a 3 year old to the carnival than other things"

He takes out his wallet and turns to her and says:

"You forget, I've been through this twice, I know about 3 year olds"

He goes to pay for the ticket and Margaret bends down to Holly and she points out this and that to her mother and then John comes over with the tickets and they go in.

A little while later as Margaret and John relax eating cotton candy and Holly looks at everything in amazement, John licks his fingers, looks at Holly then asks Margaret:

"What's with her dress? Why does it have dots all over?"

Margaret smiles then says:

"Oh, that's from the character, **'Little Dot'**, haven't you heard of her?"

Trapper thinks on that for a moment then says:

"I think I have…I think I remember Becky and Kathy asking me to buy a comic named that…they had just started to read and begged me to buy that!"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Well, my three year old daughter can't read but thanks to Mrs. Gergandy's grand daughter, my daughter had to have a dress exactly like** 'Little Dot's'**"

He smiles and so does Margaret and they walk on down the road with games to play on either side and Margaret asks:

"You don't talk about the girls much do you?"

He thinks on that then says:

"I guess I don't, it hurts a lot, to have left them behind"

They look at Holly staring at everything then Margaret asks:

"Is it because of them, you want to be with us?"

He smiles, winks then says:

"No, I want to be with you both, it's because of the girls that I can"

Just then Holly runs up to them and says in her excited girl tone:

"Mommy! Mommy! I want to go in there!"

She points to the Fun house and Margaret and Trapper laugh and Trapper takes their empty cotton candy cones, throws them away and they go on.

A little while later, Margaret and Trapper come off from a little child's ride with Holly and Holly just goes to look at something and Trapper asks Margaret:

"Margaret?"

She looks at Holly then back at Trapper and asks:

"Yes?"

He scratches his eye, looks at Holly then asks:

"You said in the summer, you wanted to take Holly to see Hawkeye…summer's getting closer"

She looks around, gulps then says in a timid voice:

"I know, but…let's not think about that now, let's just have fun, we won't be here to much longer"

He looks around and says:

"Yeah, there is only a few more things she can do and ride"

Margaret smiles and Trapper says:

"Let's go into the house of Mirrors" "Okay….Holly!"

Holly comes running and off they go laughing and enjoying the day.

In a short while, they come off the Ferris wheel, laughing and exhausted ( well, Trapper & Margaret are ) and Trapper says:

"Let's get something to eat"

Margaret shakes her head yes then says:

"Fine with me"

She turns to holler for Holly:

"Holly!"

Holly doesn't answer or come running. Margaret waits a second then hollers again:

"Holly!"

Trapper looks around and doesn't see her either so he hollers:

"Holly!"

No answer.

Margaret doesn't see her daughter in her red dress with black dots and she begins to panic. She swirls her eyes over the immense, growing crowd and she reaches for

Trapper and says:

"John?"

He looks around and says:

"Don't panic, we'll find her"

They go through the crowds screaming and hollering for Holly but still no answer. Finally, Margaret says:

"Let's go to the police"

Trapper looks the crowd over then finally sees a round police officer with red hair, a beard and he is watching the crowd very carefully and they go running to him and Margaret and Trapper almost start at the same time:

"Officer! Officer! My little girl!..." "We have a little girl missing…"

The officer throws up both his hands then says in a easy to understand British brogue:

"Now! Now! One at a time will ye? You…"

He points to Margaret:

"You go first!"

Margaret takes a deep breath then says:

"It's my daughter, she's missing, she's 3…"

The officer looks around and asks:

"Where did you last see her?"

Trapper points to where they were standing a moment ago and the officer asks:

"And what was the little lass wearing?"

Margaret's heart skips a beat then she says:

"A red dress with black dots all over and her hair pulled back by a hair band"

The officer thinks it over and says:

"Let's get to looking"

They all go off in search and Margaret thinks:

'Oh God, I would rather go through anything else…be back in Korea, watch a patient die…have hot wax poured in my veins…not this! Not my little girl! Please! Let her come back!'

She then goes to screaming Holly's name and running through the park but they don't see a little girl in a red dress with polka dots sewed on watching the Merry-Go-round in amazement.


	11. Chapter 11 Holly

_'Thump...thump...thump, that's all I can I can feel of my heart, I can't feel or hear anything else...where is she? where is my little girl?'_

That is all Margaret is thinking about when a single tear drops from her eye. She doesn't see John looking at the merry-go-round and the little girl he sees...she just feels and hears pain.

"Margaret!"

Trapper John runs to the Merry Go Round, he spots a little girl in a red and polka dotted black dress and doesn't know if its her but he just runs to her. He barely even sees the strange man inching toward her:

"Holly!"

Holly turns to see him and she smiles. The man beside her freezes up, snatching his hand away from her and he stands still.

"Margaret!!"

Margaret finally hears John and she wipes the tears from her eyes and she clearly sees her daughter scooped up in John's arm. She reaches out for the policeman beside her and she points to them and she runs so hard and so fast over to where John and Holly stand. She instantly grabs her daughter and says:

"Holly, where were you?"

The little girl points to the Merry Go Round in all its wonder and she says just in all her innocence:

"I was here Mommy"

Margaret hugs her then asks another question:

"But why did you go? Mommy was so scared"

Holly just tells her:

"I had to come Mommy, it's so pretty!"

All the adults just laugh now that the horror is over, Margaret just kisses her daughter again and the kind policeman says:

"Now, it's just like a little one to go off when they see something pretty like this but mind you now lass, you won't be doing that again will you?"

"The confused little girl shakes her head no and the police officer taps his hat and says "Good day" to Margaret and John then leaves to go back to scan the crowd then Margaret says:

"Okay now, let's go get something to eat"

Just then Holly squirms around and points to the Merry Go Round and says:

"No Mommy! I want to ride that!"

Margaret and John laugh and he goes to pay for two tickets and Margaret and Holly get on a blue horse. Holly just laughs as the gentle breezes glide past her and she giggles as Margaret tries to find her footing on it. John goes over and watches the two and he smiles but then....his eyes scan the crowd and it falls on a person. He just remembers the man reaching for Holly and he notices how the man is watching the crowd for another 'lost' child. John goes back to watching Margaret and Holly having fun but the corner of his eyes stay on the tall, slender stranger.

After 30 minutes later, Margaret finally steps off the ride with Holly closely in hand and he asks:

"Finally finished riding?"

Margaret looks at her daughter and says:

"After about ten times, it finally got boring"

Holly protests:

"I want to ride again!"

Margaret rolls her eyes then bends down to Holly and says:

"Holly, we are hungry and it's time to go eat, so come on young lady!"

Holly pouts but goes with her mother, John still spots the guy as he inches closer to a young boy. Trapper goes over to the policeman who helped them earlier, says something to the police officer and the police officer turns to look at the man more close. He mouths something to Trapper like 'thank you'. Trapper pats the police officer on the back and goes off.

After they eat, they leave the carnival and are walking down the sides of streets where business's are. People are walking around and Margaret keeps a close eye on Holly as she walks a few paces in front of them. They stop in front of a Women & Little Girl's dress shop. Margaret and John talk about what to do the rest of the day when Holly says:

"Mommy! Look!"

The little girl points up to a hat, a little girls hat in the window. It just runs a wide brim and it has white fabric covering it with sheer lace on top and yellow flowers running up and down and two pink satin flowers on either end and loose strands of fabric to tie under the chin. Margaret goes over and asks her:

"What is it Holly?" "That!"

Margaret looks and sees the darling hat and looks further up and sees a sign that says:

'Easter Hats on sale. Little girl's & Ladies. Come look!' Margaret smiles and looks back at John then says:

"We won't be long"

He waves them to go on and the they go in. Trapper looks at his watch and thinks:

_'Won't be long. Right'_

He just watches his watch as the seconds tick by.

About 30 to 45 minutes later, Holly comes running out of the store with the very same hat on. She says:

"Look John!"

He sees the small girl in the hat showing it off and he can't help but smile and laugh to himself when he sees Margaret coming out with several boxes in hand. He walks up to her to take some from her and says:

"What's all this?"

She looks at the boxes and says:

"Oh, they had the most darling dress for her to match that hat, it's just so cute, I couldn't resist it"

John thinks:

_'Uh huh_'

Margaret just goes on telling about the dress:

"It's white with yellow polka dots"

He smiles and says:

"Of coarse"

She smiles and says:

"Of coarse"

He asks her another question:

"And what's in the other packages?"

She sheepishly looks at them and says:

"Well, some shoes for her and well, I just had to get me a dress and shoes...and a hat, gloves...just accessories"

He smiles and they go on walking down the street.

Finally, just as the twilight of the day comes, Margaret opens her door to her apartment and a exhausted Holly comes in and goes straight to her room. She opens the door and falls her little body on the bed. Margaret goes over and closes the door then turns around and sees John putting all the packages down on the couch and he stands up and he looks at Margaret and she asks:

"Would you like some coffee?"

He shakes his head and Margaret goes over and makes some. She then pours them both a cup in two mugs, takes them over to the couch, gives one to Trapper and sits down and says:

"Thank you for today"

He takes a sip then says:

"I'm just glad I was there"

She smiles and says softly:

"I'm glad also"

They both take sips of their coffee then Margaret says:

"You know, I was almost on the verge of not taking Holly to met Hawkeye"

Trapper leans back, looks at Margaret, not with judgment then says:

" I had that feeling"

He watches Margaret put down the coffee cup and she says:

"But after today….I would never forgive myself if I never took her"

He places his hand on top of hers and says:

"We'll take her…together"

Margaret smiles and they both sip their coffee.

**A/N—Okay, hands up! Who knew, or suspected that everything would turn out all right with Holly? Thanks and love to EVERYBODY! One more chapter to go until Crabapple Cove!**


	12. Chapter 12 Start of Summer

**A/N**--**I swear with my hand up that I didn't even realize how I was putting the names of these couples together until I put their names together! Ha! Enjoy this chapter! It's just a happy filler until the next big ones!**

It was the first weekend of June and it was a beautiful one! The skies were clear and the wind was just right even tho' Adam and Eve's wedding was being held inside the

First Baptist church of Chicago. Margaret and Trapper walk in and Margaret catches her breath at the sight of perfectly draped yellow roses on the pews and soft pink ribbon's on the wall. They go to sit down and that's when they see the other nurses, doctor's and even Mister Woods sitting next to a pretty young woman that you assume is his wife...even Lorraine is there, sharply dressed in a pretty blue outfit and she is already dabbing her eyes but she still smiles. Margaret and Trapper smile at everybody and sit down and Margaret says in a hushed tone:

"Isn't it beautiful?"

He looks around and says:

"I guess"

She looks at him and sees him putting his finger in his collar of his shirt and trying to stretch it and she asks:

"Why did you come if you are so uncomfortable?"

He looks at her and asks:

"Is it that obvious?"

She flatly says:

"Yes"

He stops adjusting his shirt then says:

"I'm sorry, I'm just uncomfortable in this monkey suit"

She rolls her eyes then says:

"It is not a monkey suit, it's a shirt and tie with a jacket"

He shakes his head then says:

"Exactly, a monkey suit"

She rolls her eyes and Adam, his best man and one other man beside him come out then the pastor of the church and Margaret says:

"Shh, it's starting"

They turn their heads to look at the back of the church and they see nurse Jane and another younger version of Eve walking in tasteful yellow attendants dresses and just then

'Here Comes the Bride' comes on and suddenly, Eve appears. She has on a long, flowing white dress with extra material on the tail, long sleeves with white gloves on, the top of the dress is off the shoulder with a wide satin, folded down collar. A mid length veil, a flowered head band holding her soft brown hair. Adam catches his breath. The pastor signals for everyone to sit down and he begins:

"We are gathered here today to join this man and woman. .Adam Black and Eve Cummings,.. do you Adam take Eve to be your lawfully wedded wife, .to honor, to cherish, to love until death do you part?"

Adam looks at Eve and tenderly says:

"Yes"

The pastor then turns his head slightly to Eve and asks:

"Eve? Do you take Adam for your lawfully wedded husband to love, to honor, to cherish to love until death do you part?"

With crystal tears in her eyes, she manages to say in her voice:

"I do"

Everybody smiles and cries are heard from the audience then the pastor says:

"Well. I now pronounce you man and wife in the sight of God and these witness's and in the state of ILLINOIS.. you may kiss the bride"

Adam lifts the veil off of Eve's face then he takes her face and places a gentle but passionate kiss on her lips as tears slide from her eyes then the pastor says:

"I give you Mister and Mrs. Adam Black!"

Adam and Eve join hands and run out the back of the church with Margaret and Trapper clapping hands

* * *

A short time later, Trapper and Margaret step into a LARGE fellowship hall that is filled with table with tasteful yellow and pink flowers in the middle of them. Some of the guests are dancing to a new song **'Love letters in the sand' by Pat Boone.** A long table is in the center of the room holding up a beautiful four tier cake and it's surrounded by a abundance of elegantly wrapped presents. One present that is already unwrapped and propped up to be shown off is a set of china plates…the plates are decorated by plate of fruit painted in the center of them…a apple, a pear, a orange and some green grapes, A abundance of ugly to some but a work of elegant art to others. Margaret and Trapper look at each other and try not to bust out laughing! Margaret sees 'High School Nurse' Eve come up smiling and she happily says:

"Miss Holihan! Doctor McIntrye!"

Margaret jabs Trapper in the ribs to shut him up and Trapper clears his throat and Margaret puts on her best smile and she hugs Eve and Eve excitedly asks:

"Do you like them?"

Margaret just shakes her head and asks:

"Like what?"

Eve points to all the china plates and says:

"The beautiful China plates my mother got? Aren't they fab?"

Trapper and Margaret look at each other and Eve goes on:

"I know I wasn't supposed to open them until later but I was so proud of what my mother got us, I was afraid she wasn't going to accept Adam because of him being older and having a teenage daughter my age almost but she just loves him!.....

Trapper and Margaret just look at each other and he says:

"Excuse me Margaret, Eve..I'm going to go get some punch, you want some Margaret?"

She shakes her head and says:

"Yes"

He then looks at both the ladies and says:

"I'll be right back"

He leaves then after a second of silence, Eve says:

"I'm handing in my resignation after the honeymoon"

Margaret looks at her wide eyed and says:

"What?"

Eve looks around then says:

"Yes, when we get back, I'll stay two weeks so you won't be shorthanded"

Margaret asks her:

"Why?"

Eve shyly looks down to the ground then says:

"I really don't like being a nurse, I'm not that good at it"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Yes, you are"

Eve just looks at her with her eye cocked up and Margaret laughs and says:

"No, you aren't"

They both laugh and Margaret asks her:

"What will you do?"

Eve looks over at Adam talking with a older man then she says:

"I'm going to help Adam in the diner, his daughter leaves for college in the Fall"

Margaret gives her a hug then says with every bit of meaning in her voice:

"Good luck Eve"

Eve grasps her hand and says:

"It worked out for the best, I'm with Adam and you're with Doctor McIntrye, anyone can see that he adores you"

Before Margaret can say anything, Eve whisks off to another guest and Margaret turns to look at Trapper talking to Mister Woods.

* * *

A little while later, Margaret walks over to the table where Lorraine is sitting, Margaret can tell that Lorraine just finished a big cry in the ladies room, she sits down next to her, puts her hand on top of Lorraine's and asks her:

"Are you feeling better?"

Lorraine looks at her then asks:

"How did you know?"

Margaret gives a little smile then softly says:

"Because it's the same thing I would have done"

They both laugh and Lorraine takes a drink of her punch then Margaret says:

"Maybe you shouldn't have come"

Lorraine considers her words then says:

"No, I'm glad I did"

Margaret looks puzzled then Lorraine says:

"I had a great marriage…I know he had….other women…in Korea.."

Margaret interrupts by saying:

"Lorraine, it was different in Korea, it was scary, we were all different over there, it's no excuse but…"

Lorraine stops her by saying:

"I know he loved me…but…he's dead…I think being here finally helped me realize that"

They smile at each other then Lorraine says:

"Margaret, when you finally do find love…cherish it, you may not know how long it will last"  
For no particular reason, they both turn their heads to look at Trapper John. **'Love Me' by Elvis ** comes on and he walks over to Margaret, puts his hand out and asks her:

"Would you like to dance?"

Margaret smiles and glides up in his arms and says:

"I would love to"

They go off dancing as Lorraine smiles at them.

* * *

After the dance, Trapper leads Margaret to a empty table for them to sit then he goes and gets them both some punch, gives Margaret hers then slowly begins to say:

"I talked to Mister Woods, he says we can leave Monday"

She looks at him and says:

"That's fine"

He inwardly sighs of relief then says:

"I'll call and make the reservations"

She puts down her cup and traces the top with her finger then says:

"You know Trapper, I was thinking that going by car would be better….for Holly"

He looks at her in puzzlement then Margaret says:

"You know, for her to see the country…I think it would be more fun for her then riding in a plane"

He quickly adds:

"Of coarse"

She quickly says:

"We'll go in my car since it's my daughter we are making this trip for"

He smiles and says:

"No, let's go in mine, it's larger, we'll have more room"

She leans back in her chair, looks at him and says:

"You're sure it's not to show off that fire-engine red Chevy? Hm?"

He laughs and says:

"Well, maybe…"

They both laugh and finish their punch then they spend the rest of the summer's day with Margaret catching the banquet, watching Adam and Eve smashing cake in each other's faces then watching them leave for the honeymoon.

**Well, that's the end of that chapter, please read and review!**


	13. Chapter 13 Bloomington

**A/N--Thanks SO much to EVERYBODY for reviewing, I do miss it terribly when I don't hear from all my reviewers but I keep on. On the next few chapters, I'm going to keep it happy, I don't want Margaret thinking she shouldn't have gone on this trip. If anybody has any ideas, put it in a review or PM ! It will turn a little more serious at the end of the trip, close to Crabapple Cove, I'm sure everybody will like it.**

**Disclaimer---I don't own M*A*S*H, the characters of Margaret or Trapper, Lorraine or any characters from the show. Just Mrs. Gergandy, Holly, and any other original characters that pop up.**

Trapper drove up to Margret's apartment building early the next morning. Margaret already had Holly's little suitcase and 3 more big ones and Margaret had on a shoulder bag. Trapper opened the trunk to put the suitcases in and waved to Margaret who waved back and started to come down when she saw Lorraine coming out of the other apartment building in which she now lives. She has on a cute dark blue day dress and she says:

"Margaret!"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Good morning Lorraine!"

Lorraine waves her to come over and Margaret does then Lorraine asks:

"Hey, when you all leave, will you go though Blooming ton?"

Margaret thinks then says:

"I think we do go through there"

Lorraine takes a deep breath then asks:

"Well, I had these pictures of the kids here and I was going to mail to Henry's parent's but if you all are going through there, could you....?"

Before Lorraine can finish her sentence, Margaret says:

"We'll be glad to"

The women hug then Lorraine asks:

"Where's Holly?"

Margaret glances up at her apartment building then says:

"Mrs. Gergandy is bringing her....Mrs. Gergandy is not happy with me, taking Holly off"

Lorraine smiles then says:

"She loves her...you are lucky to have her Margaret"

Margaret smiles and says:

"I know"

As if on cue, Mrs. Gergandy comes with Holly in tow. Holly has on a little white top and red shorts and she brings Holly to Trapper's Chevy and she lays her in the back asleep, all the while giving Margaret daggers with her eyes then when she closes the door, she turns and starts her barrage of Italian cuss words at Margaret, Margaret just smiles uneasily and says:

"It won't be long Mrs. Gergandy..."

She says to Trapper:

"I think we better go now while Holly is asleep..."

She turns and gives Lorraine one last hug and turns back to the old babysitter, hesitates but gives her a hug. Trapper waves goodbye then they get in and leave.

* * *

After being on the road for awhile, Trapper turns to Margaret and asks:

"Why are we doing this again?"

Margaret sighs and says:

"Lorraine asked if we could, it's on our way, it's no big deal"

Trapper turns a corner then says:

"No it isn't, I just wanted to be sure as to why....are we on the right street?"

Margaret looks at the address on the thick envelope and says:

"Yes, 10 Kings road...we just need to find the right house"

He looks to the left and to the right and asks:

"What's the numbers?" "23" Margaret says:

He slowly drives and see the lower teen numbers then quickly they see a polished light green house and Margaret says:

"That's it!"

The lawn is manicured, chairs in right places on the front porch and Trapper asks:

"Do they know we're coming?"

Margaret says:

"Surely Lorraine called to tell them we are coming"

Trapper smiles and says:

"We could be pouncing in on them like a cat in the dark....meow!"

Margaret smiles then turns to Holly, gently shakes her and says in a soft motherly voice:

"Come on Holly, it's time to wake up"

The little girl wakes up, yawns and rubs her little eyes then asks:

"Are we in 'Aine yet?"

Margaret and Trapper smile at each other then Margaret says:

"No Honey, we're at a friend's house to drop something off"

Margaret gets out and goes to get Holly by the hand and they begin to walk up to the Blake's house but before t hey can get halfway up, a woman in her middle to late 60's, with DARK red hair, almost a wooden red color and has on very loud colored knee length shorts, and striped white shirt with a flimsy white jacket comes running and a elderly gentleman beside her who Trapper knows is Henry's father...he looks almost exactly like him...down to the same 'University of ILLINOIS' shirt on that Henry almost always wore, minus the fishing hat.

The woman squeals, Holly tries to hide behind her mother while Mrs. Blake goes on:

"Oh Lorraine told us you were coming!"

The woman just grabs Margaret in a giant bear hug...Margaret smiles and says:

"We were wondering if Lorraine called to tell you we were coming"

The woman almost yells out:

"Of coarse!!"

Henry's father puts his hand out for Trapper to shake and he says:

"You must be Trapper"

Trapper shakes and says:

"Yes, I'm..."

Before he can even finish, the man says:

"Well, I'm Joshua, Henry's dad and this is Rhonda, we're might glad to meet you"

Margaret hands Rhonda the package of pictures then says:

"Uh, Lorraine gave me these to give to you

The robust woman takes them tenderly and opens it and she brings out a picture of all 3 grandchildren posed close together, smiling and tears come to the woman's eyes and she says:

"Oh, I always love seeing my babies, they look just like their dad, don't you agree?"

Rhonda shows the picture to Henry's dad and Margaret and she says:

"Yes, they do"

Joshua Blake says:

"So you're Trapper and Margaret?"

Margaret says:

"Yes sir"

Rhonda eyes light up and she squeals:

"So you worked with my boy!"

This time Trapper says:

"Yes ma'm"

Rhonda grabs Margaret by the arm and says:

"You must come in and tell me all about it! His last days and all…"

Margaret looks at Trapper then says:

"Well, uh, we have…"

Just then a five year old boy with blond hair shows up and he enthusiastically says:

"Hi!"

Rhonda introduces him:

"This is Tommy, my younger boy little son"

Margaret and Trapper shake their heads at the boy and he looks at Holly and asks:

"Want to come play?"

She looks at her mother then says:

"Sure!"

The two kids go off and Margaret says:

"I guess we got time to come in now"

Margaret looks at Trapper and shrugs her shoulders as if to say 'Why not?' and Rhonda just goes on saying:

"Those two will play all day with the other grand kids, you can tell us all about Henry"

Joshua slaps Trapper on the back and asks in a high spirited tone of voice:

"Tell me, what did you think of our boy as your leader?"

Trapper and Margaret look at each other and Trapper says:

"He was One of a kind"

Margaret laughs and says:

"Really"

The woman leads Margaret into the living room where Trapper and Margaret see on the wall, a gigantic picture of Lorraine and Henry taken on their wedding day and then in the rest of the living room, nearly every square inch taken up by pictures or awards or some kind of knick knack reminding them of their late leader. Trapper bends down to Margaret's ear and softly says:

"We are in Henry land now"

She admonishes him by saying:

"Shhh!"

Rhonda says:

"I'll get us some lemonade and we'll have a nice long talk!"

Trapper speaks up and says:

"We really can't stay long"

His sentence just breaks off into nothingness because it just falls on deaf ears as Rhonda goes to the kitchen and Joshua says:

"Come on and sit down, she'll have that made in a minute"

Margaret and Trapper look at each other and shrug their shoulders and they sit down then a few minutes later, in comes Rhonda with the lemonade.

* * *

A few hours later, Margaret stands up and says:

"I'm sorry but we really must get going"

Rhonda stands up with her and says:

"Aw, I hate for you to go, there's so much more we could talk about"

Margaret thinks about that and nervously says:

"Yes, well…"

She turns to go outside to Holly with Rhonda following her and Joshua slaps Trapper on the back then says:

"Well, I hate to see you go! Sounds like ol' Henry was a good stand up kind of leader for you guys!"

He slaps Trapper on the back so hard that he nearly chokes on his drink then says:

"Well, it's been great for us too but…"

Just then Trapper hear Margaret saying:

"Trapper!"

He goes to stand beside her and they look out and see Holly and all the other Blake grandchildren ( four in total ) playing in the ditch behind the house, all muddy and soaking wet. Laughter going on and Holly says:

"I don't want to leave mommy! I'm having fun!"

The grownups all laugh and Joshua slaps Trapper on the back again and says while Trapper is trying to catch his breath:

"I don't think you will be going anywhere while those kids are playing! Just come on back in!"

Trapper and Margaret at each other and Rhonda says in her high pitched voice:

"I'll go fix us all some tuna fish sandwiches for lunch!"

Trapper gives a fake laugh while Margaret sighs.

* * *

A few hours later, a VERY tired Holly comes to her mother who is almost falling to sleep listening to Rhonda and Joshua…Holly has herself covered in a peach colored towel, water and mud hanging from her ponytails and she says:

"Mommy? I'm tired"

Margaret wipes some of the excess water and mud off of her little girl and Rhonda says:

"Poor little thing, why don't you go give her a bath in there honey?"

Margaret smiles and says "Thank you" and they run ( rather quickly ) to the small bathroom to get Holly clean. Rhonda sighs then says:

"I'm going to go take these dishes in to get them clean, excuse me boys"

She leaves and Joshua slaps Trapper on the back again ( Only not so hard this time ) and says in a loud, annoying voice:

"Well, it looks like it's just me and you my boy! Say, Henry wrote that you were a boxer for awhile in College"

'_Finally! Trapper thinks, Something he can talk about!'_

"Well, I did for awhile but…."

Just then Joshua abruptly changes the conversation:

"You know, Henry boxed for awhile in College, he was pretty good but quit when he decided to become a doctor"

Trapper just runs his hand over his face and sighs and sits back and listens to Joshua dominate the conversation again.

* * *

After a short while, Margaret comes back, looks around and says:

"She passed out on the guest bed, I hope you don't mind, she was so tired, she didn't even let me put on her night clothes, I'll put them on her later"

Rhonda just shakes her head and says:

"Poor dear"

Joshua stands up and says:

"Well, my boy, it looks like you'll both be staying the night, if you don't mind sharing with your daughter ma'm, you both can sleep in the bunk beds in there. That's what my Henry and his brother slept in and we have never took it down, the grandkids like it"

Joshua slaps Trapper on the back again and Rhonda says:

"Oh, I have the perfect thing to fix for supper, do you like steak?"

Margaret and Trapper look at each other and say in unison:

"Yes"

Rhonda gleams then says:

"Well, that's what I'll fix"

Margaret says:

"I'll go help you"

Trapper TRIES to smile as Margaret goes to the kitchen.

Later, a short time after supper, Trapper stands up and says:

"I'm sorry folks, but we're going to hit the bed pretty early tonight since we have to get up and leave early"

Joshua and Rhonda both say:

"Oh, I'm sorry you have to, we were going to show you some homemade slides of Henry, we thought that would be fun"

Margaret says:

"That does sound like fun but we really should get to bed"

Trapper then says:

"I'll go get our suitcases out of the car"

Margaret looks around the room then says:

"I think I'll go put some night clothes on Holly, Trapper bought her suitcase in earlier"

Margaret quickly excuses herself and goes to the room that used to be Henry and his brother's bedroom and gets Holly's suitcase and pulls out a sweet pink gown and puts it on her daughter. Trapper then comes in the room and FIRMLY closes the door and whispers in a very agitated voice:

"I cannot wait to get out of here!"

Margaret rolls her eyes then says:

"I know, I feel the same way"

Margaret gets her suitcase and pulls out a long white nightgown and Trapper says:

"If that guy slaps me on the back one more time, I'm going to the nearest Bloomington hospital and get my back x-rayed!"

Margaret goes into the connected bathroom and changes then comes out and sees Trappers shirt off and how is trying to inspect his back then asks him:

"What are you doing?"

He says:

"Looking for black and blue marks!"

She snickers then says:

"It's not black and blue….maybe a little red"

He puts on his shirt in a huff then gets up on the top bunk and Margaret asks him:

"Aren't you going to change clothes?"

He looks down at her and says:

"I got used to sleeping in my clothes in Korea…"

After a few minutes, he sighs then says:

"I'll change in a while, I just want to lay hear and clear the cobwebs out of my head which may take a few brooms!..."

He thinks on that then says:

"And a mop!"

Margaret shakes her head then turns off the lamp by the bed then thinks on something herself and turns to Trapper and says:

"Have you noticed that the only big pictures were of Henry, and what pictures there was of his brother were in small frames?"

He shakes his head, gets up on his elbow and says:

"And did you notice when they told us about this room, they said 'It was **Henry's** and his brother's room?"

She shakes her head then says:

"Makes me wonder why they even bothered with another child"

Trapper grunts and says:

"They were probably hoping for a clone of Henry and were disappointed"

Trapper is silent for a few minutes then says:

"Listen, we are leaving at the crack of dawn, understand? I don't care if you and Holly are still in…"

He points up and down to Margaret's gown and says:

"Still in your…nightclothes, we are going!"

She smiles and says:

"Okay, let's get some sleep"

He lays back and thinks then says:

"Good night" "Night" Margaret says.

She smiles and says:

"Okay, let's go to sleep"


	14. Chapter 14 Indiana

**A/N--Well, this is my latest chapter of the road trip; tell me what you all think!**

**(I'm thinking a sub title should be, 'Leaving Bloomington in the Broad daylight' he)**

The next morning, Trapper and Margaret along with Holly were in the car ready to leave and yes, Margaret did have on some day clothes. She had on a red top with a knot tied at the belly button, blue jean knickers and cute, matching flats. Holly was dressed in her 'Little** Dot'** dress. Trapper was sitting beside the wheel with a scowl on his face, Margaret looks at him and says:

"Okay, we didn't get to leave when you wanted to that morning; you don't have to look like that"

He looks at her and forces a fake smile and Margaret laughs then says:

"At least, Mrs. Blake made us enough sandwiches to last awhile; she made tuna fish, bologna, and peanut butter and jelly for Holly"

This time he smiles for real then says:

"I know and I guess it was funny, being here..."

They wave at Henry's parent's standing on the poach and waving goodbye to them, then Trapper finishes his sentence:

"But let's get out of here!"

Margaret shakes her head and says:

"Amen!"

Trapper drives to the end of the road and turns to go left and Margaret asks him in a puzzled tone:

"Where are you going? according to the map, we're supposed to go the other way"

Trapper looks at her and says just as serious as can be:

"I was going to the hospital to get my back x-ray ed"

Margaret smiles and laughs then picks up the map and hits him lightly with it and Trapper drives up a little ways then turns and goes in the right direction.

***************

For hours later, They pull into a rest stop, Trapper parks the car and says:

"I'm ready for some of those sandwiches"

Margaret starts to open her side door then says:

"I'll get them"

Trapper gets out and opens the back door for Holly to hop out and over the other side, Margaret gets out the picnic basket and just puts it on the seat and reaches in and gets four and five sandwiches, goes and puts them down on the picnic table, gives one to Holly and opens it for her then goes back and gets some milk and drinking glasses then goes back to the table. They don't see a pretty but obviously very hungry mutt sniffing the food.

After eating her sandwich, Holly scampers down and runs around playing and checking out her nearby surroundings. She then sees the dog sniffing the picnic basket, goes up and in all innocence bravery of a three year old, goes up and pets the dog then she turns her head and says:

"Mommy, can I give a 'wich to the doggie?"

Margaret turns her head and sees the dog wagging its tail and thinks of the dog in Korea that she was sneaking food too and she says:

"Yes Holly"

Holly crawls in the car and opens the basket and gives him one but...she leaves it open and so after eating one, the dog crawls himself in the car and climbs over Holly just to get to the basket and begins chewing down the rest. Holly laughs and keeps laughing so hard that Margaret comes to see what is going on, she sees and she yells out:

"Trapper!"

Trapper comes over and sees the dog eating the food and he just starts roaring out with laughter and Margaret tries to pull the dog off and Trapper asks through laughter:

"Are there any left?"

She looks in and sees just one lone sandwich and turns to him and says:

"One"

Trapper waves his hand and says:

"Let him have it"

Margaret sighs then reaches in and gets the one sandwich and hands it to the dog and then after eating it up in five seconds, the dog has a FULL belly and goes over beside the wall of the station and Trapper says:

"Canine garbage disposal"

Margaret shakes her head then turns to the picnic basket, closes it and begins to go back to the table to clean it off and she says:

"You know, now that we are in Indiana ; it shouldn't take us long to get across the state"

Trapper thinks on that and says:

"No, it shouldn't. And I plan to get across here faster than Henry's parents could talk!"

She looks at him and he feigns innocence then says:

"What? They took up a lot of time from us!"

She throws away the napkins and holds the glasses then says:

"Let's just go…Holly!"

Holly leaves the dog still sleeping and they all get in the car but what they don't see as they leave is a partly hidden sign by brush that says in bold blue letters 'Burns for Governor.

After being on the road a very long time, Margaret says to Trapper:

"I'm hungry"

Trapper looks at his watch and sees that it is five-thirty and he says:

"I am too, let's just go in there"

He points to a diner that is lit up like a Christmas tree, he pulls in and the first thing they hear is** 'A Teenagers Romance' by Ricky Nelson** and they go in, Trapper sees another sign that says 'Burns for Governor'. He shrugs his shoulders and opens the door for the ladies, they go in and go to the first empty table they see and Margaret picks up a greasy menu then says:

"Let's see what they got"

She opens it and the first thing she sees is a little flyer with a picture of a ham and cheese sandwich on rye bread with green beans for the side and it says the Burns special and she says:

"I think I'll have that, it looks good, Holly?"

The little girl looks at her mother and says:

"Chicken"

Margaret smiles and looks at Trapper and says:

"She's going through a chicken leg passé"

He smiles and says:

"I think I'll get the chicken friend steak and mashed potatoes"

They put the menus down then a few minutes later, a tired, brown haired waitress comes over to them and she asks:

"What will it be?"

Margaret looks up at her and points to Holly then says:

"She'll have a chicken leg and corn, and I'll have this"

Margaret points to the picture of the ham and cheese sandwich and the girl says in a very dry voice:

"That huh?"

Margaret looks confused and says:

"Yes, what's wrong with it?"

The girl puts down her pad & pencil then says:

"You know who that is named after don't you?"

The girl looks back at the diners kitchen then sits down and tells them:

"The man who's running for Governor, Frank Burns"

Margaret and Trapper's eyes go wide and Trapper looks out at the road and sees a marching band and sees them holding a sign in front of them being carried by two people that says 'Frank Burns for Governor" and he looks at Margaret and says:

"I think we have fallen into some kind of alternate universe"

The waitress shakes her head then says:

"He has everybody fooled, even the boss man here, he named this plate after him"

Trapper just shakes his head then asks her:

"Frank Burns? The man who looks like a weasel? Ferret face?"

Margaret chips in:

"No chin? Looks like he swallowed his lips?"

The waitress shakes her head and a man dressed like a trucker comes up to them all and says:

"Mindy, go back to work before you get in trouble, I'll tell these folks about this"

She gets up to leave and Trapper starts to say something but she returns and asks:

"What did you want sir?"

He just says:

"Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes"

She writes it down and leaves to put the order in and the trucker tells them:

"Names Arnold, Arnold Slaydon"

He shakes hands and Trapper says:

"I'm Trapper, this is Margaret and that's Holly, we're just passing through"

He shakes his head in a gentlemanly way to Margaret, smiles at Holly then asks them both:

"You talk like you know this Burns character"

Trapper and Margaret look at each other and they just shake their heads in silence then Arnold says:

"That crackpot is going to ruin this state and people are just falling for it"

Trapper asks him:

"You're not?"

He firmly shakes his head then says:

"No, let me tell you about some of his policies"

Margaret and Trapper listen closely while Mindy brings them their plates and they eat. Mindy stays and listens as they are near about the only ones in there eating. After a while of Arnold constant talking, he finally says:

"I just wish somebody could do something"

Trapper looks at Margaret then says:

"Margaret, I'm going to go to the little boys room, you and Holly wait for me at the car, I'm also going to go call and check on things back in Chicago"

Margaret looks confused, she wipes Holly's chin and says:

"Okay"

Trapper turns and asks Arnold:

"Um, Arnold, can you come with me?"

The man just says:

"Sure"

Trapper does go pay the bill to Mindy then says something to Arnold and they go to a pay phone.

After a while, Trapper comes out to the car and Margaret says:

"That sure took a long time"

Trapper shrugs his shoulders and says:

"Lots of catching up to do with Ron…let's go"

They drive for awhile longer then Trapper asks:

"Where are we?"

Margaret looks at the map and says:

"Woodburn"

He points to a decent motel then says:

"Let's stay there, I can't go any more"

She looks at the motel and says:

"Sure, let's go"

They go and check in. Margaret and Holly go to one room and Trapper to the one beside. Margaret says:

"Goodnight"

Holly says in a very childlike voice:

'''Night!"

Trapper smiles and goes in and instantly crashes on the bed.

The next morning they all wake up and stroll down to the breakfast area and Margaret picks up a newspaper and opens and the headlines scream in bold letters:

"**Candidate in Governor's race drops out'**

Her eyes open wide and she says:

"Trapper, look at this"

He looks at the caption and sees the picture of weak chinned Frank Burns and he closes his eyes and says in a pained voice:

"Please, I'm eating, just read it"

Margaret smiles at Trapper then reads the rest of the article:

"Indiana's Governor's race ended this morning in default as one candidate dropped out, Major Frank Burns. An anonymous source has delivered some official papers to Fort Wayne's newspaper; ** 'Fort Wayne Leader' **that tells of some mental issues the Major had while serving in Korea. Apparently, he had jumped in a water fountain with a woman whose name we shall not print and kept mumbling some woman's name who was deleted from the file….Major Frank Burns camp declines to comment for now"

Margaret folds the paper up and looks at Trapper and smiles then asks as he continues to dip his biscuit in the yellow of his egg and Margaret asks:

"Did you have anything to do with this?"

All he does is shrug his shoulders and looks innocent and she asks:

"I thought you called Ron last night"

He takes a bite of his biscuit and says:

"I did but…did you know Ron's dad, before he retired and bought that hotel back in Chicago was a Army journalist for the paper, 'Stars & Stripes'?"

She folds the paper up and still smiling says:

"I'll go check us out"

He smiles and watches her leave then looks back at the paper with Frank's picture on it and laughs. He goes on to finish eating then flicks some egg on the picture then leaves.

**Okay, that's the end of that chapter, what did you guys think? I was nervous about it so please tell me what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15 Getting tires in Ohio

Trapper, Margaret and Holly had been happily driving into Ohio since leaving Woodburn, and then, Trapper and Margaret decided to go upstate and across to get to the next state. Holly was getting bored like most children her age and was asking her mother every ten minutes or so "Are we there yet?". They were about 60 miles in the middle of nowhere when a VERY LOUD POP AND BOOM happens, Holly screams and starts to cry for her mother. Margaret turns and reaches for her daughter to comfort her and Trapper says:

"It sounds like the rear right tire, I'll get out and take a look"

He drives the car to the side, gets out and goes to the right rear tire then says:

"Yeah, that's what it is, I'll have it changed in no time"

Margaret says to Holly:

"See? it was just a silly old tire, don't cry now, now sit down to I can go help Trapper put on a new one okay?"

The little girl shakes her head and dries her tears and goes and sits down in her seat and starts to color in her animal coloring book. Margaret goes out to see Trapper looking at the tire and she asks:

"Well, what are you doing?"

He looks at her then says:

"I was waiting for you to change it..."

Her eyes go as big as saucers as he says:

"Hawk said you changed tires pretty good in Korea"

She realizes that he is teasing her and she looks back at her daughter coloring in her book and Margaret mouths something to Trapper that seems like "Go to **** " He smiles and goes to open up the truck, he comes back and pulls out a spare tire and Margaret does help him change it and then he says:

"Okay, that should do it, I should get a new tire in Maine, they say not to drive for long on a spare"

Margaret agrees then says:

"Let's go, we still go a ways to go"

He shakes his head in agreement and puts the jack and other tools back in the trunk and off they go or so they think.

* * *

Another twenty miles down the road, another pop and boom is hear but this time, Holly just screams:

"Momma!"

Trapper pulls off to the right side of the road and says:

"I think it's on the left side this time"

He gets out while Margaret says to Holly:

"Shh, shhh, it's only another tire, everything's all right; here...here, play with your dollies, momma is just going to go help Trapper again"

Holly sniffles then goes to sit down with her dolls and Margaret looks at her daughter then gets out and goes to where Trapper is, sees him looking down and asks:

"What are we going to do?"

He looks at her then back at the tire then says:

"I got a tire patching kit in the trunk, get it for me, please?"

She turns and opens the trunk and gets him the kit then after about five minutes of doing, he says:

"Okay, that should do it but you know, this means I should get a new tire almost as soon as I can"

She looks down at the patch on the tire then says:

"Well, let's go...the sooner we get to a town, the quicker we can get a new tire, come on!"

Trapper shakes his head and they go and get in the car.

* * *

40 miles down the road, Margaret is sleeping in the passenger seat as is Holly in the back seat, Trapper is driving when he begins to hear a soft hiss at first. He listens closely as the hiss gets louder and he says out loud:

"Margaret"

The hiss gets louder and he says in a equally louder voice:

"Margaret!"

She wakes up and the car is jolted in a quick forward, Holly is thrown to the floor and he small head hits the carpeted floorboard and she hits her head HARD, she yells:

"Momma!"

Margaret turns and lifts her little girl up and over the seats into the front with her and rubs her hand on where the bump is going to be an she asks Trapper:

"What was that?"

Trapper looks at her and says:

"I don't know but I'm going to go see"

He gets out and goes to the front and yells out:

"I don't believe this!"

Inside the car, Margaret asks:

"What?"

He signals for her to come see, she sits Holly down and Margaret gets out and stands by the right front tire and he says:

"The tires were punctured and air slowly leaked out of them"

She looks to where he is pointing and asks:

"Both of them?"

He points from one to the other and says:

"Yeah, look…"

She bends down and notices the tiny tear in almost the same place in both tires and she says:

"What are we going to do now?"

They both stand up and he leans against the car and says:

"I don't know"

They both go quiet then he looks around the place, the city they have come too, and he asks Margaret:

"Where are we?"

She looks around, see a sign and says:

"That sign says Toledo"

He asks her:

"Who do we know in Toledo?"

They both think on that then say at the same time:

"Klinger!"

Margaret tells him:

"I have his number in my address book, I'll get it and go call"

She goes back to the car, gets the number and gets Holly's hand and they run across the street to a pay phone while Trapper just smiles and waits.

Awhile later, Klinger comes driving up in a tow truck, he gets out smiling at Margaret and Trapper. Margaret runs to him and hugs him and Trapper comes and shakes his hand enthusiastically and says:

"Klinger! It's good to see you!"

Margaret lets go of him and Max says:

"It sure is good to see both of you, better than the last time"

They all remember Sherman Potter's funeral at that second and Margaret says:

"Yeah"

Klinger clears his throat and says:

"Major…uh, Margaret told me you were in a bit of a bind with the car, so I borrowed this tow truck"

He points to the truck then Trapper says:

"Thanks Klinger"

Klinger then asks:

"What exactly happened?"

Trapper signals for Klinger to follow over to the car and Trapper says:

"Well, these two tires back here popped out on us a way back and these two just fizzled out on the road, I found some glass in them"

Klinger bends down to the right tire and picks out a sharp piece then says:

"Yeah, here's some, I had head that they had some problems with jerks up and down this road last night"

Trapper looks at the glass glittering in the sun and Trapper points back to the tires with his thumb and says:

"I guess you could say they were just too pooped to pop"

Margaret and Trapper look at him then he says:

"Get it? To poop to….I'll go hook up the car to the truck"

Trapper and Margaret snicker at each other then Holly suddenly appears and says:

"Momma, I'm hungry"

Klinger looks at her with a confused face on and he asks:

"Who,,,"

Margaret and Trapper look at each other and Margaret tells Klinger:

"Klinger, this is my daughter, Holly; Holly this nice man is mommy's friend, Max Klinger"

She shyly smiles at him and he gives her his hand and she reaches out to shake it and he looks back at Margaret and says:

"She looks just like…."

He sees Trapper hold up his hand saying silently 'Be quiet'. Max understands and the little girl says again:

"Momma, I'm hungry"

Margaret turns to Trapper and says:

"I am too"

A light comes on in Klinger's eyes and he asks:

"Hey, does she like hot dogs?"

Margaret laughs and says:

"Oh, that's one thing I don't have a problem getting her to eat"

Klinger proceeds to tell them:

"Then let's go over to Packos, she'll love it, they'll love her"

Margaret looks at Trapper and shakes her head yes and Trapper asks:

"What about the Chevy?"

Klinger looks at the fire engine red beauty and says:

"We'll take it with us then…hey, I know where we can go then to get tires!"

"A mechanic?"

Klinger waves him off then says:

"No, there's not a mechanic shop open today, some big wig politico guy died yesterday and they are having a funeral, everything's closed today"

Margaret asks him:

"If everything's closed, how can we go to this guy?"

Klinger turns to pull down the crane to put on the car and says:

"Because, this guy couldn't stand him so he wouldn't go 10 feet of the funeral"

Margaret gets Holly and they all go to get in the tow truck and just as Klinger goes around the car to get in, the car falls off the crane! Trapper and Margaret look at Klinger and shout at the same time:

"Klinger!"

He puts his hands up in a 'I'm sorry' and puts the car on right.

Later at Packos, they have just finished eating the hot dogs and another man and older woman come and he asks in broken English:

"You like hot dogs?"

Margaret looks up at him and says:

"Oh yes"

Trapper says:

"I ate two"

Margaret looks at him and says:

"Three but who's counting?"

They all laugh and Trapper asks:

"Okay, where do we take the car now?"

Klinger tells them:

"Come on and I'll show you"

They all get up to leave and the older Hungarian woman asks in her native tongue some questions and Margaret asks:

"What is she saying?"

Klinger looks at the woman and says:

"She's asking where we are going"

The other man with her tells her and she says some more Hungarian words and points back to the kitchen with her hands and Margaret asks again:

"Now what is she saying?"

Holly tells her in her sweetest voice:

"She wants me to go back in the 'eitchen to make cookies!"

Margaret and everybody looks surprised and Margaret asks her daughter:

"How do you know that?"

Holly just looks at them and says:

"She said it in here"

Holly points to her heart and everybody smiles then Holly gets up to leave with the woman then Max follows and the next thing they hear is some harsh Hungarian swear words ( they suppose ) and the woman says:

"Klinger, out!"

Max comes out mumbling:

"The woman can't speck English but she can say, 'Klinger, out!"

Margaret and Trapper tries to stifle their laughter and Klinger goes to pay then they leave.

Sometime later, the trio pull into a mechanic's garage and they all get out and Trapper looks around then asks:

"I thought you said Klinger that all the mechanic's weren't open today"

A boy of seventeen comes up to them and he shakes Klinger's hand and Klinger says:

"They are not but this is Chipper, he can put you some new tires on"

Chipper shrugs his shoulders then says:

"I got everything to become a mechanic, just don't have a license yet, I just change tires and do the small stuff now"

Klinger beams with pride then says:

"Chipper is Morty's son"

Margaret looks shocked then Trapper just asks:

"Can you get new tires for this?"

The boy looks at the 1957 Chevy then says:

"That's the car I specialize in"

He slowly looks over the whole car then gives a low whistle and says:

"That's a beauty"

Trapper beams with pride like a newborn poppa then says:

"Thanks…how much will it cost?"

Chipper looks at Klinger then they talk in whispers then Klinger says:

"Chipper says since it's me, he'll do it for twenty dollars"

Trapper and Margaret look at each other and Trapper says:

"Thanks! Uh, can you do it now?"

Chipper shrugs his shoulders and slowly starts on his way to his pile of tires and then Margaret gets Klinger's arm and drags him over and asks him:

"Klinger, this is Morty's son? The one who married LaVerne? Can we trust him?"

Klinger says:

"Sure, Chipper is a good kid"

Trapper and Margaret sigh and smile.

It doesn't take long for Chipper to change the tires, Trapper smiles in approval and Klinger shakes Chipper's hand and pays him and Margaret, Trapper and Klinger start to get in the car when…the doors burst open and in comes several police officers. One comes up to them flashing a badge and says:

"This is Toledo police, this place is under suspect for being a 'chop shop''

Everybody looks at Chipper in shock and the officer asks:

"Where's Chipper Steinson?"

Chipper doesn't look surprised at all and the officer in charge and the officer says:

"You're under arrest"

He turns Chipper around and puts the handcuffs on him and Klinger asks:

"Do you have evidence?"

The officer scoffs and says:

"We got a boatload, just looking for some more in here"

The man starts to lead Chipper off and Klinger mumbles:

"I should have know that Morty's son would be no good"

The officer looks at Trapper and his car then says:

"Did he just put those tires on?"

Trapper looks at the wheels then says:

"Yeah"

The officer looks at Chipper then says to Trapper and tells him:

"I'm sorry, we'll have to take those tires as evidence"

Trapper and Margaret turn to Kilinger and both yell:

"Klinger!"

Max Klinger makes a swan dive behind some barrels and a pile of tires.


	16. Chapter 16 Salisbury Steaks

**I just wanted to tell you all, that you may see a THIN line of another show that I took inspiration from! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer-I own **** Nothing **** from M *A*S*H or any other show!**

Trapper is behind the wheel of his fire engine red Chevy with sparkling, brand new tires on and he and Margaret are laughing as hard as they can with Holly looking at the adults in her life in puzzlement, and then Trapper says:

"I don't know why we can't keep from laughing!"

Margaret wipes the tears from her eyes and says:

"Because it was so Klinger!"

Trapper looks to the left of him then says:

"Well, at least I go some new tires out of this"

Margaret tries to subside her laughter then finally says:

"Yes, he finally found a honest tire salesman"

Trapper then say:

"Yes, it took a while but he did it, and his family put us up in the meantime"

Margaret asks him:

"Did you ever see such food?"

He makes a left turn then says:

"I thought the Greek had a abundance of food, where you there that day the Greeks came and bought all that food to the camp?"

Margaret shakes her head no then says:

"No, I think I had to go to the 8063 for the day or something like that"

Trapper tells her:

"Well, you missed something but I have NEVER seen anything like those Hungarians just put us though food wise"

The laughter finally dies down and after a few minutes, Margaret says:

"After all this talk about food, I'm getting hungry"

Margaret looks back at Holly and asks:

"Are you hungry Holly?"

Holly shakes her head yes then picks up her doll and starts to play and Trapper asks:

"Where are we? Still in Ohio?"

Margaret shakes her head no and shows him the map then says:

"No, we crossed into Pennsylvania while back, I'm not sure where we are; all I know we are on Interstate 80"

He shakes his head then says:

"Let's just look out for something to eat"

They both begin to look out for both sides of the streets while Holly just plays.

* * *

After a while, Holly puts down her doll and says to her mother:

"Momma, I'm hungry!"

Margaret looks at Trapper then says:

"I know honey, we're trying to find a place but every place we find is either closed, burned down or abandoned"

Trapper looks at his watch then says:

"It's starting to get dark…I just can't believe at state as big as Pennsylvania and you can't find a place to eat"

Margaret shrugs her shoulders then says:

"It happens, let's just keep looking"

after a few seconds, he says:

"Hey, what's that?"

She asks him:

"What?"

He points just up ahead of them and she peers in the direction and again asks:

"What? What do you see?"

He shifts in his seat and says:

"Don't you see those lights?"

She peers even harder and he asks:

"Is it some place to eat?"

She turns her head to look at him and says:

"I don't know, let's get closer"

They get about 50 yards closer and then Trapper says:

"It says 'Good food, good accommodations"

He points to the sign that says it and Margaret says:

"Well go to it"

The diner that they are going to is a rustic cabin with a tin roof, wood floors and a smokestack with a wood pile on front and lights without a cover on them and they drive 50 more yards and get there. Trapper shuts off the car then says:

"It's not much but it's a place to eat"

Margaret shakes her head yes then gets out and opens the back door for Holly to get out. They go up the steps and go in, Trappers opens a screen door and they see old wooden chairs and round wooden tables with no tablecloths but a bottle of ketchup and silverware on and Margaret and Trapper look at each other but go on in and then a kindly, old man…tall but with beady eyes that twinkle, grey hair and a smile and laughter that rivals Santa Claus and he hollers:

"Howdy folks! Sit down anywhere!"

They all go to sit down at the first table in front and he brings over two menus for them to looks at. He asks:

"Where you people from?"

Trapper looks up at him then says:

"We're from Chicago but we're just traveling through, going to Maine….um, I'm Trapper, this is Margaret and that's Holly"

Margaret shakes her head then asks Holly:

"What do you want Holly?"

Without hesitation, the little girl says:

"I want a chicken leg!"

Margaret sighs the mother's sigh that we all know so well then turns to the man and asks:

"Do you have chicken?"

He slaps his leg in laughter and says:

"Right do ma'm!"

Margaret laughs then asks:

"Is it fresh?"

The man laughs again and begins to say:

"Ma'm, I just ki…"

He stops himself then looks at little Holly who is listening with such intensity then says:

"I just plucked it myself a few hours ago!"

Holly jumps up and down in her seat and says:

"And corn!"

Margaret laughs then says:

"And corn please"

The man sits back and says happily:

"Will do, what about you folks?"

Margaret and Trapper looks at the menu then Trapper says:

"Salisbury steak looks good"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Looks good to me also, two Salisbury steaks and a chicken leg with corn, please"

The man slaps his knees then says:

"All righty"

Trapper scratches behind his ear then says to the gentleman:

"Sounds like you are a southerner"

The man happily tells him:

"Transplanted from Georgia, wife bought me up here, never could get used to me and my ways"

He cackles then says:

"Let me get to going with this order"

He leaves to go back to the kitchen.

After a while, a long while in terms of being hungry, he brings out 3 platters full of Salisbury steaks, a plate with a chicken leg and corn and he sits them down in front of them and says:

"Here we are folks!"

The man puts the plates down in front of a eager Margaret and Trapper and Holly, Holly and Trapper get to eating right away. Margaret sniffs the food and wrinkles her little nose then takes a small bite and almost gags on it then forces it down her and asks:

"Uh, may I ask, um, how old is this steak?"

The elderly gentleman scratches his head then says:

"Oh, I don't know…folks around these parts don't order those too much, mostly chicken and hamburgers but I would wager about anywhere from 6 months to a year"

Margaret drops her knife and fork and grabs her throat and Trapper looks at her then shrugs his shoulders then says:

"It tastes okay to me"

Margaret whispers to him:

"Trapper, it's green"

He looks at her then the old man and whispers back:

"So was the food in Korea, come on, it's good"

She shakes her head then says:

"I seem to have lost my appetite"

The man says to her:

"Well, I hate to see you not eat anything at all"

She looks at Holly happily eating and says:

"Well, do you have any of that chicken left?"

He quickly replies:

"There's a breast, thigh and leg left"

She smiles and says:

"I'll take a breast"

Holly says:

"I want a leg please!"

They all smile and Trapper says:

"I'm already finished with mine, can I eat yours?"

Margaret gladly slides the plate over.

After they all finish eating, Margaret asks:

"Exactly where are we?"

The owner of the drive in dive, closes the cash drawer and thinks and then says:

"Ma'm, you're in the in the middle of nowhere on a spot on the road"

He smiles as Margaret and Trapper look at each other then he says:

"We're somewhere around the town of Snow Shoe, people don't know what to call this place so they just say 'Snow'"

Trapper shrugs his shoulders then says:

"We might as well stay here, late as it is"

Margaret agrees then asks:

"All right, how much is your cabins?"

The man chuckles then says:

"Only got one, one is all I ever had but don't worry, it's big enough to have several beds"

Trapper asks:

"How much is it ?" "Four dollars, 3 for ya'll and one for her"

Trapper pays and he goes and gets their suitcases out then Margaret and Holly go to the cabin and open the door and they see their 'accommodations'….a twin size double bed with a brass bed post and wooden bunk bed. Holly immediately goes at falls in the bed and starts yelling:

"Weee!"

Margaret and Trapper just sigh, Margaret goes and puts down the suitcase on the bottom bunk and gets out Holly's pink nightgown then says:

"Come on Holly, let's go put on your gown"

Margaret then gets her gown and goes to change with Holly and Trapper looks around.

After a while, the girls come out, Holly runs back over to her bed and pounces in and Margaret asks:

"Holly, do you want to come sleep over here?"

After a few seconds, Holly says:

"No! this is a 'illow cave!"

Margaret laughs and fluffs up her pillow and lays down then Trapper goes in to put on his pajamas then after he comes out, he has his hand on his stomach and Margaret asks:

"Are you okay?"

He shakes his head then says:

"My stomach just feels a little weird but I'm okay"

She shakes her head okay then pulls on the string on the lone light bulb in the ceiling then says:

"Goodnight Holly"

Holly shuffles around a bit then says:

"Goodnight momma! Goodnight Trapper!"

He says:

"Goodnight Holly, night Margaret"

He studies the bunk bed then jumps up and they all go right to sleep.

Later in the wee hours of the morning, Margaret wakens to things a jostling and bustling.

She somehow manages to get up and pulls the old string on the light bulb and sees her little daughter sleeping just as peaceful as she would be in a cloud. But the sight is different when she turns around, Trapper jumbles out of the bathroom with his eyes barely open, a pine green face and he manages to say:

"B-be ca-careful in the bath….room, it looks li, like a ch-checkerboard square"

Margaret smiles and understands and the train rumbling stops and she gets up off her bed and says:

"Come on Trap, I think you better lay down here, I'll lay up there"

He shakes his head then begins when another train comes from the opposite direction and he barely makes it to the little window by Holly and Margaret stifles her laughter.

Later that morning, all three of them get up early and head out to the car, Margaret is more like leading Trapper out and the owner of the diner comes out and he says:

"Morning people!"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Oh good morning mister…."

He smiles and says:

"Kings the name Miss"

Margaret smiles and then he asks:

"Are you people leaving?"

She looks around then says:

"Yes, I was going to come tell you before we left, we really have to get going"

The man strokes his chin in wonderment then says in a kindly manner:

"Well, I understand about that but I just wanted to tell you that I had breakfast made"

She steadies Trapper on his feet then asks:

"Breakfast?"

A small bile starts to come up in Trapper's throat:

"Yes ma'm, sausage, toast, pancakes, orange juice, I made it all!"

Trapper runs behind the old outhouse to throw up while Margaret and the old man look at each other and Margaret nervously smiles then Holly says:

"I want pannycakes!"

Margaret smiles at her then Mister Kings says:

"It's only 50 cents"

Margaret looks at Trapper and asks:

"Is that okay? We'll be back soon"

He waves her away then she opens the front car door and sits him down in the passenger seat then goes and gets Holly's small hand and they go to eat breakfast.

In a little while Margaret and Holly come back with their stomachs full and Margaret opens the door for Holly to scramble in then she opens Trapper's door, puts out her hand and asks:

"Keys, please? I think I better drive"

He shakes his head then says:

"The only thing I feel like driving to is my funeral"

She happily takes the keys then goes to her side of the car, gets in, puts the keys in and says:

"Now maybe you'll listen to me next time"

He barely acknowledges her and when she drives off. She looks back at Mister Kings waving them off and…she sees in the corner of her eye, a faint image of a red headed woman waving them goodbye. She shakes her head and drives on to the next destination.

"…_.do you realize how many people think 'I love Lucy' is real?'_

_-Major. Sidney Freedman—'From Quo Vadis, Capt. Chandler_


	17. Chapter 17 Margaret tells the reason

Margaret was driving, Holly was asleep in the back seat and Trapper was coming around over on the passenger side. Margaret smiled as she looked at Trapper who was licking his lips and barely opening his eyes and she says:

"Hello...how are you feeling?"

He stretches then says:

"Better....at least I don't feel near death"

She giggles and keeps her eyes on the road and causally asks Trapper:

"Want something to eat?"

He rolls his eyes then looks at her and says as a matter of fact:

"You're cruel....and I thought you were a dedicated nurse"

She stifles in her laughter and he looks back at Holly and asks:

"How is she?"

Margaret looks back over her shoulder, glancing at Holly and says:

"She's fine, she's only asked me two times; 'Are we there yet Mommy?'

He smiles and looks around and asks:

"Do we have any water? I could use some...for my mouth"

She tells him:

"Yes, in that thermos, on the floor; in the back"

He reaches back and gets it and when he turns back around in the seat, his eyes roll and he shakes his head then takes a drink then looks at Margaret and thinks on something then slowly asks her:

"Margaret?"

She keeps looking at the road then says:

"Hum?"

He closes the lid then finally says:

"Margaret, I'm not stupid...we've gone on two trips and both times you didn't want to take a plane...what's the reason? When we were in Korea, you didn't have a problem getting on a plane or chopper now...."

She tightens her fingers on the steering wheel and looks in the mirror to see that Holly is still sleeping then she says:

"It's...how I found out I was pregnant with her"

Trapper looks back at Holly who resembles a raven haired small angel and he looks at Margaret with a questioning look then she sighs and goes on with her story:

"I was one of the last ones to leave, after we left the 4077th, I went to the 8063rd to help them get things properly together to leave , it was only supposed to take a few days but...as it always turned out back in those days, it took several weeks..."

She closes her eyes for a second then she continues:

"I got on the plane and everything was going great, no problem; we were over the mid west when..."

She takes a deep breath then tells him:

"We started getting turbulence..."

She shrugs her shoulders and tears come to her eyes and Trapper says:

"Margaret, you don't have to..."

She stops him with a wave of her hand then says:

"The plane crashed, miraculously , there wasn't any _serious_ injuries, but there was still hurt people….something, I don't know what... something was laying on my lower legs, a torn seat, part of the plane, I don't …but there was this woman just , _just_ out of reach of me…."

She starts to sarcastically laugh then says:

"Here I am, a nurse ! And I can't get to a injured woman! …."

She wipes her tears away and holds her mouth then after a few minutes of silence, she continues:

"Anyway, rescuers finally got to us and the woman was okay, they stopped the bleeding and I was put in the hospital for awhile, I had broken my lower leg and bruised my ribs, then they told me nothing had happened to the fetus…"

His eyes widen and he takes a drink of water then he carefully asks:

"Why didn't you tell Hawk?"

She shakes her head then says:

"I don't know, he was just getting over his own personal demons you know and I…think I just wanted this all to myself until…."

She stops for a second then continues again:

"Things were fine for awhile, I had things planned out, I was going to have the baby, stay in the army, hire a nanny but , things changed…"

He takes a deep breath then asks:

"What?"

She faintly smiles and looks at him then looks back at the road then says:

"After my injuries healed, they were going to transfer me to Fort Polk in Louisiana, I was excited, had my bags all packed but when I was in that airport and they called my plane….I couldn't move"

She stops at a traffic light tells him:

"I just couldn't move so I got to a phone and called Colonel Potter….I couldn't call my father, so Colonel Potter helped me get out of the army in a relatively easy time"

He looks at her and smiles then he finally looks around and they go on when the light turns green and he asks:

"Where are we?"

She looks at sign that says 'Albany…next exit"

She just drives on then says:

"On the road to Albany"

He picks up the map and looks at it then says:

"That's not on the route to Maine"

She smiles then says:

"No but it's the way to Boston"

He smiles and says:

"I was going to ask you, since we were so close…."

She looks at him and says:

"You mumbled Becky's and Kathy's name while you were out"

He thoughtfully rubs his chin then starts to say something when Holly says:

"Momma!"

Margaret looks in the rear view mirror at her daughter and smiles then asks:

"What is it baby?"

Holly points out the window and says:

"Apples!"

Margaret looks to the side and sees a homeless man selling apples on the side of the road before they get to Interstate 90 and Margaret looks at Trapper and asks:

"Is it okay?"

He shakes his head yes then says:

"I might can try a apple"

Margaret pulls the car over and gets out and selects a small basket then gets back in the car and says:

"These are McIntosh, McIntrye"

He smiles and gets one and bites in and Margaret hands one to Holly then they get back on to get to the interstate to go to Boston.

**A/N—I know this might be a short chapter but I hope ya'll enjoy it! Let me know what you think of it. We're getting closer to Maine! Oh, there's a little bit of my home in this story…anybody guess?**


	18. Chapter 18 Boston

**A/N-I want to give thanks where thanks is due, and I owe thanks to The People's Sgt. He's been helping me give this story shots in the arm when needed so THANKS! Trapper's girl's are in this chapter and since I wasn't sure of their ages, they are 10-12 in my story.**

Margaret and Trapper stop for gas just inside Massachusetts. A gas attendant is putting gas in Margaret sits in the passenger seat patiently waiting as Trapper and Holly are in the station paying. After a few minutes, Trapper comes out with Holly in front of him, she has a soda pop and a Hershey bar in her hand, she goes over to the car, Margaret gets out and opens the back door for her young daughter and she asks:

"Where did you get that?"

Holly points to the station and says:

"From him!"

Margaret looks at Trapper and he places both his hands up in innocence and says:

"Not me, from the owner"

Margaret closes Holly's door and gets in front and so does Trapper and the young attendant who starts washing the window and he says in a low voice:

"That's mister Owens, he doesn't make a thing off that candy in there, he gives it to every young kid in the county"

Margaret smiles and after the boy washes the front window, Trapper gives him a tip and drives off.

They get down to the stop sign and Trapper says:

"I was going to tell you about Becky, Kathy and what happened earlier"

She looks at Holly happily eating her candy bar and drinking her pop and Margaret tells Trapper:

"You don't have to"

He waves her off and says:

"I need to, just like you told me about planes...I need to tell somebody before I burst"

She smiles and tells him:

"Go on"

Trapper lets off the brake and thinks on his words then says:

"I told you we tried for a year but..."

He realizes his difficultly and she patiently waits for the next words:

"Three weeks after I got home, I knew something was different, oh, she tried but....it was like fake trying you know?"

She shakes her head and he continues:

"One Sunday my old man comes to me, takes me to the back yard and tells me he's dying of cancer.."

Margaret looks shocked and says:

"I'm sorry Trapper"

He shakes his head and looks at the empty road and continues:

"He had known for a few months, he didn't want to tell me while I was in Korea and when I came back didn't know how but he knew he had to....Louise wasn't surprised, you know what she did while I was gone?"

Margaret shakes her head no so he tells her:

"She became a secretary for some oncologist at Boston General, so happened to be the same doctor my dad went to, that's fine, don't get me wrong, she needed to get a job...I was gone and the money didn't exactly come like clockwork from Korea to Boston so...he dies and things are not exactly like it is on TV.; a few weeks later, the lawyer reads us the will now, my family wasn't exactly rich but my dad did well with his two construction companies, he helped build Boston, I can show you some bridges and buildings he helped build.."

They get back on Interstate 90 and Margaret sees Holly who has finished her candy bar and pop and scrunch down and go to sleep again and Margaret asks Trapper:

"Why is she sleeping so much here lately?"

He looks at her and says:

"Margaret, this trip is a lot to take out on a 3 year old"

She shakes her head and reaches over and covers Holly up with her white blanket then sits back down and Trapper continues:

"Anyway, the lawyer reads the will and of coarse, he leaves money big time to his granddaughters but only to get out when they are 18, he leaves NOTHING to Louise"

Margaret cocks her eyes because she knows what is coming:

"She lets it be known that she is staying just for the girls but a few weeks later, boom! She's gone!"

Margaret asks him:

"You didn't know where they were?"

After checking the traffic as it gets a little heavier, he tells her:

"Only after her lawyer sent me a official letter of divorce"

Margaret asks him:

"What about the girls?"

He sighs then says:

"I never saw them again in person, I've only been sent pictures and told snippets of their lives in letters, this will be the first time I have seen them in four years, I don't really know how they will feel about me"

Margaret gives him a reassuring smile and says:

"I'm sure they will be ecstatic to see their daddy"

He looks out and mumbles:

"Maybe"

She looks at Holly then asks him:

"Didn't you ever try for custody?"

He looks at her then says:

"Margaret…you know how I was over in Korea, I was a dog…I tried to get in almost every woman's pants…even yours…how would that look in court? Even I knew I wouldn't stand a chance and Louise played it good, if she did cheat, nobody ever knew about it"

Margaret goes quiet because all you can do is silently agree and Trapper turns on the radio and **'Bye, Bye Love' by the Everly Brothers **comes on.

* * *

Sometime later, Trapper, Margaret and Holly come out of a hand some 3 story restaurant 'Union Oyster House' and Margaret says:

"That was good"

Trapper silently agrees by shaking his head then says:

"I had to bring you all here, this restaurant is the oldest and best place here, what 'Adam's Ribs' is to Chicago, this place is to Boston"

Holly speaks up and says:

"I like the 'spaghetti'!"

They laugh and Margaret says:

"I'm glad they had a children's menu, seafood is not something I can get down her yet"

He runs his hand over his stomach then says:

"I loved the fried shrimp"

She shakes her head then says:

"Yes, I'm sure it was but if I'm coming to Boston, I want chowder, good old clam chowder"

He smiles and they all go pile in the car…Margaret looks at Trapper and says:

"Let's go see the girls"

Trapper starts the car and only half enthusiastically, he says:

"Yeah"

Trapper and Margaret are driving around in a neighborhood, Margaret looks around then asks:

"What's the address?"

Trapper leans a little to the dashboard and retrieves a envelope and says:

"It's here on this last child support payment I made"

As he hands it to Margaret, she asks:

"She didn't ask for alimony?"

He shrugs his shoulders and says:

"I was but she married this guy"

Margaret looks at the address then asks:

"What's his name?"

He scratches his temple then says:

"O'Keefe, I think"

Margaret says:

"Hmmm, it's 5102 East borne street, it's further up here"

He goes carefully on and Margaret looks around and says:

"Trapper, these neighborhoods, they are getting…I don't know…fancier"

Trapper looks around and Margaret asks:

"Who did you say she married?"

He thinks on it then says:

"His name is…Thomas O'Keefe"

She puts her hand up to her head and says:

"I don't know why I didn't think of this before! I didn't connect it, I read a article where he is this BIG shot attorney here in Boston and he has old world family money! My God! That's why we are in this neighborhood and…another thing, that house next to Louise's? That's where the Winchester's live"

He looks at her and asks:

"Winchester? Isn't he the guy who replaced Burns?"

She firmly shakes her head then says:

"Yes, he is from blue blooded money, he threw it up in our face all the time!"

He points to there and asks:

"You want to go see him?"

Just as she shook her head yes, she shakes her head no and says:

"Dressed like this? NO and besides, there was this big article in a paper Colonel Potter got from Boston when I was there last saying how Charles had invested in this big time luxury hotel and was living in the penthouse"

Trapper raises his eyebrows and asks:

"He left mommy and daddy?"

She shrugs her shoulders:

"Well, I think a few things were…disclosed and he left"

Trapper looks at her then says:

"I heard"

Trapper drives up to a **big,** brick home ( 3 stories at least ) and he gets out, looks up and looks back at Margaret and says:

"Come on"

She asks him:

"Are you sure?"

He tells her quite frankly:

"I'm not going up there by myself, get Holly and come on!"

She gets Holly and tries to smooth both their clothes down at almost every step and Trapper nervously rings the doorbell and a few minutes later, a butler in a steel grey three piece suit answers and he asks:

"Yes?"

Trapper clears his throat and says:

"Um, I'm John McIntrye and I'm here to see Louise"

He eyes him VERY carefully then he looks at Margaret and Holly and asks:

"Who are you?"

Margaret looks at Holly then says to the butler:

"We're friends of John's"

He stiffens himself even more and says:

"I see…well, I'll go get the Missus"

He leaves and goes into a room and Margaret, John and Holly all look at each other in apprehension and a few minutes later Trapper sees his ex-wife come out. She's a woman of a vision, has caramel colored hair, a heart shaped face with eyes of a doe and crystal blue eyes, skin of milk and she has on a green shirt that with each step as she gets closer to Trapper, he realizes she is four months pregnant! She coolly says:

"John"

He shoots back at her:

"Louise, I see you….changed"

She smiles a small bit then the girls come running. Two 10-12 year old girls come happily running to their dad shouting:

"Dad!" "Daddy!"

Kathy and Becky are happy, carefree girls with soft brown hair. Kathy being the oldest, has her hair pulled back in braids and Becky has ponytails, they hug Trapper until he says:

"Margaret, I'd like you to meet my girls, Kathy and Becky"

Margaret nods her head and says:

"Nice to meet you, this is my daughter, Holly"

Both girls say:

"Hi"

Louise then says dryly:

"Girls, take Margaret and Holly to your rooms, I want to talk to your dad"

Kathy and Becky take Holly's hand and they go. Margaret looks at Trapper and wonders what is going on but then when they are out of ear shot, Louise tells Trapper:

"I have been trying to call you, where have you been?"

He just tells her:

"I took a summer's vacation, I've been on the road, going to Maine, what's going on?"

He looks around the room then finally in his face and says:

"I want you to take the girls…to live with you"

He looks at her like she's talking in a different language.


	19. Chapter 19 Bonding in New Hampshire

Trapper just keeps looking at his ex-wife with his mouth slightly ajar and she asks him:

"Do you want to take them or not?"

He comes to the realization of her words and slowly says:

"Yes! Sure I'll take them but...why?"

Her hands rest on her stomach then she says:

"I don't know if you have realized but I'm pregnant"

He can't help but roll his eyes then says:

"No Louise, I thought that was a cot on your stomach"

She ignores that and says:

"I can't...deal with the pregnancy and the girls at the same time so you take them"

He thinks on her words as she says them:

'_Millions of women handle almost dozens of babies at one time and you can't handle, what? two? three? sheesh'_

He then just asks her:

"Are you going to want me to bring them back after the kid's born or what?"

She shakes her head and says:

"No...I want them to stay with you"

Her words keep reeling in his mind and then he finally says:

"Okay, well, let's go get them"

She shakes her head and they turn to go to the girls room.

Margaret and Holly are with Kathy and Becky in one of their rooms and there is four or five suitcases waiting and Kathy looks around then says:

"Momma doesn't want us"

Margaret looks at the girls then at Holly and unsure of what to say, she manages a few words:

"I'm sure she's just confused with having a baby and all"

Kathy looks at her little sister then says:

"Maybe"

Margaret doesn't know any more words to say to a 12 year old girl who seems years above her age then they hear footsteps coming and Margaret tries not to show her relief and the door opens and in comes Louise and Trapper and he smiles and says:

"Hey, hey!"

The girls squeal and jump up in their daddy's arms and he hugs them then says:

"Hey, do you want to go with me?"

The girls say at the same time:

"Yeah!"

He smiles and looks at Margaret and tells the girls:

"Margaret and I are going to Maine, want to go?"

The girls look at each other then jump up and down screaming:

"Yeah!"

It was then that he looks at the girls suitcases and turns to Louise and says:

"I can't take all their suitcases, I think I can only get two of each in the car"

Louise sighs and says:

"Give me your address to where you are going and I can have them shipped"

Margaret lets go of Holly's hand and says:

"I can do that, I just need something to write on" "I have some on my desk, just a minute"

Kathy goes and gets her a pen & paper, Margaret writes down Hawkeye's address and gives it to Louise and almost wordlessly, Trapper gets the girls suitcases and they go down to the car, he puts the suitcases in the trunk then he turns to Louise and the girls and nudges them with his eyes for them to give their mother a hug, they do. Then they all pile in the 57 Chevy and Louise goes unemotionally back into her mansion.

A few hours later after being on the road, the happiness and joy of being together has seemed to fade into something else and replaced with boredom, The joys of having a pre-teen and two of them! Trapper looks at his eldest daughter sitting on the right beside Holly and he asks her:

"Um, Kathy, are you glad to be out of school?"

She shrugs her shoulders and says:

"Kinda"

Becky says enthusiastically:

"I am!"

Kathy says to her:

"That's because you are so dumb, you can't get any of it right"

Tears come to Becky's eyes and she says:

"I am not!"

Trapper raises his fatherly voice and says:

"Hey! We do not call anybody dumb, Kathy, you apologize to your sister!"

Kathy says:

"Yes sir, I'm sorry Beck, I didn't mean it"

Becky wipes her eyes and Holly looks at them both. Margaret and Trapper look at each other then he passes a sign that says 'Welcome to New Hampshire' and Trapper asks:

"Have you girls ever been to New Hampshire or Maine?"

Kathy says:

"No, just seen pictures of them in school, mom just took us out to California so she could buy fancy clothes"

Margaret looks at Trapper and they both are thinking the same thing—_'Only thing Louise loves is money'_

A few hours later, Becky says:

"Daddy! My legs hurt!"

Kathy then says:

"I'm tired to daddy"

Trapper says:

"We're barely in New Hampshire!"

Margaret looks at Trapper and says:

"Trapper, it has been a while since we stretched our legs"

He looks confused and asks:

"We never had any problems with it before"

She points with her eyes to the girls then says:

"Yes but we didn't have five in here before"

He gets her silent meaning then looks around for a place to park the car then says:

"Well, I guess we can go there"

He points to a building that has a sign in front that says: **'Flea Market of Derry, New Hampshire'** with a small carnival going ons beside it with small horses going in a circle in front and Becky says:

"Ah! I want to ride the ponies!"

Holly says:

"I do too!"

Kathy says:

"A flea market dad?"

He looks at Margaret then says:

"Well, I guess we can drive on"

Holly and Becky both say:

"Aw!!!"

Kathy rolls her eyes and says:

"No, come on"

She opens the door and Holly and Becky run straight for the small Shetland ponies to ride and Margaret signals to Trapper and Kathy to go on while she stays with the girls. Kathy and Trapper get to looking at rows and rows of china dishes, drinking glasses, magazines, comics, picture frames and finally Kathy sees something that catches her eyes. A **Spartus Full View Camera-1955 edition**, she carefully picks it up and eyes it all over and Trapper notices her and he goes over and asks:

"What do you got honey?"

She looks at him then says:

"Something you probably don't want me to have"

He smiles and says:

"What? That camera?"

She looks at him and says:

"Dad, it's not any camera, it's a Spartus Camera, TLR Box camera"

He is impressed with his 12 year old daughter's knowledge of such things and he says:

"It looks like one I used to have"

Her eyes light up and she asks him:

"You did?"

He shakes his head then looks at the small camera then says:

"One part is missing"

She shakes her head then says:

"That's okay, the main thing is the camera"

He smiles and they go up and pay for the camera then go back out to Margaret and the girls and Margaret goes over to them while closely watching the girls and says:

"What have you got there?"

Kathy proudly shows her the camera and says:

"This?"

Margaret smiles and gets the camera, examines it then says:

"It looks like some film is still in here"

Kathy says:

"There is?"

Margaret gives her back the camera and says:

"Yes, see?"

Kathy looks and she can barely contain her excitement and Trapper says:

"Look, you can start taking pictures now"

Margaret tells her:

"Yes, I didn't bring my camera and there is some pictures I would have loved to have taken!"

Trapper points to Becky and Holly riding the ponies and says:

"Like now"

Becky takes a beautiful still picture of her sister and Holly then Margaret says:

"I can go get supper and we can have a picnic over there and you can take some more pictures!"

Trapper winks his eye at Margaret and mouths "Thank you" and Margaret smiles.

Margaret goes and get some hamburgers and hot dogs from across the street. A local diner and she brings them back to the picnic table and while they eat, and after they eat, Kathy takes pictures…memories. Some of Trapper and Margaret, Holly and Becky playing, Trapper even wrenches it from his eldest daughter's hand and takes a picture of her then finally after the roll is taken, she says:

"Daddy, can we please go get it developed? Please?"

Margaret says:

"There's a drug store right down the street"

Trapper smiles and says:

"Okay, Okay, let's go get it developed and you know what? Let's spend the night here, find a place to crash and not get back in the car tonight"

Everybody cheers and they dash off for the car and to the drug store.

Two hours later, Margaret comes back to the hotel room with a large manila envelope and says:

"I got them!"

Kathy, Becky and Holly bound and leap for them and Kathy spills them on the bed and they each say:

"Oh!" "Ahhh!" "Great pictures!"

Becky picks up one and laughs and says:

"Look at Holly and me!"

Trapper smiles and goes through the pictures then pictures and picks one out and….his face goes pale. He gets up and silently pulls Margaret over to the other side of the room, she looks confused then he sighs and says:

"This must have been the first picture"

She asks:

"What is it?"

He shows her. It is a picture of Benjamin Franklin Pierce holding a golf club. It had to be taken shortly after returning from Korea. Margaret gasps then looks back at Holly then back at Trapper then Trapper says:

"Look Margaret, maybe this is a sign, maybe you should prepare Holly"

She shakes her head then calls for Holly. Trapper goes over to his girls and they go through the pictures with glee and back at the table, Margaret puts Holly on her knee and shows her the picture.


	20. Chapter 20 Crabapple Cove

**A/N-I'm sorry I took a few days to get this chapter up, I have been working on other stories and doing research for the character of Daniel Pierce, he's only a minor character but I wanted to get him down GOOD! After all he is Hawkeye's dad so read and enjoy.**

Trapper was finally driving into the state of Maine and Margaret was looking at a state map and the girls were quiet in the back. He looked in the rear view mirror and Kathy was looking over her camera and Holly, he just had to smile. She was still holding the picture, the only picture of Hawkeye then she bent over to Kathy and whispered:

"This is my daddy"

Kathy didn't know what to say so she just went back to her camera, Becky was looking out the window at the great sights of Maine, she seemed to be taking a picture of them with her mind. Margaret then spoke up:

"I'm glad Hawkeye told you exactly how to get to Crabapple Cove because it's not even on the map"

He laughs and says:

"We're lucky it's two or three towns in here, I think we're all tired of driving"

She smiles and says:

"Where is this mythical place?"

He laughs and says:

"Between Neddrick and Kittery, why do you call it 'mythical'?"

She smiles and says:

"Hawkeye told me a patient in Korea said it sounded like a place where Winnie-the-Pooh hangs out"

Becky chimes in:

"Neat!"

They keep driving until they come to a sign that says **'Welcome to Crabapple Cove',** Kathy turns her head to look out the window at a pretty scene of grass growing on a side mountain of rocks and a small waterfall beside it and she exclaims:

"I want to come get a picture of that!"

Trapper and Margaret smile then they start on a rickety old bridge, it immediately starts causing them to jump up and down in their seats and Trapper says:

"I-I-I k—know it i—i-sn't the s-sh-shocks"

Becky says:

"It's like a ride!"

Trapper looks at Margaret and says:

"I ha-have-n't felt l-li-like this since that t-tr-train in P-e-p-ensylvania"

Margaret smiles and the girls only looked confused as the adults laugh.

Trapper drives up to a house, a large, two story wooden frame out with a building on the left side closed in and a small hospital clinic on the other. Margaret's heart pounds in worry and excitement. Trapper looks at her and the girls just squeal in excitement at seeing it.

'Come on dad! Drive up" Kathy says:

"Momma!" Goes Holly:

Becky just bounces up and down in the seat like she was still on the bridge. Trapper drives up in the yard and parks and he and Margaret look at each other then they all get out of the Chevy. Trapper leads the way up to the long porch and Hawkeye runs out of the screen door when he sees his old friend and says:

"Trap! I'm glad you understood my directions, I was afraid I'd lead you to Canada!"

He smiles and says:

"Nah, we made it okay"

He looks confused then asks:

"We?"

Trapper steps back and he then sees Margaret for the first time in four years. He shouts out:

"Margaret!"

He hugs her and then he steps back and says:

"I didn't know you were coming!"

She says:

"Well, I had to bring you something"

He looks at her funny then asks:

"What?"

She takes a gulp then steps back and Holly comes into view. Hawkeye sees her and there is NO mistaking who she is. She looks at her mother then at the man who she now knows is her dad. Hawkeye is in total shock, doesn't even see Trapper's girls, just hears Margaret say:

"This is Holly Hawkeye, Holly, this is your daddy"

The little girl still looks uncertain and she pulls on her mother's shirt and Margaret bends down and Holly says:

"Momma, why isn't he tiny?"

Margaret stifles a laugh.

A small time later they are in Hawkeye's huge living room, the furniture is adequately spaced out, the couch in the middle of the room, two chairs against the wall facing the t.v. but mostly Margaret notices Colonel Potter's Calvary uniform on a headless dummy beside the door and tears come to her eyes. Hawkeye comes back in the room and Margaret asks:

"Where are the girls?"

Hawkeye's mind is still spinning but he manages to say rather gruffly:

"They are with dad, you should have seen his face when he saw Holly, his eyes lit up, he immediately took on a new demeanor, he…he's happy!"

Margaret looks at a picture of a woman in her early 40's in a beautiful dress of the 30's and she is also a carbon copy of Hawkeye and Holly. Then Trapper says:

"She looks like your mother, no wonder he's happy"

Hawkeye looks at the picture then runs his hand over his chin then says:

"Margaret…I'm trying to hold some words in because there is some children in this house but…arrrgh! How could you do this?"

He gets up just walking in circles and almost flinging his arms and she says:

"It wasn't easy Hawkeye"

He shoots his arms out and says:

"Wasn't easy?!? I have a DAUGHTER! How hard can it be to say 'Hawkeye, you have a daughter?"

She looks around the room and says:

"If you remember, things wasn't going exactly great for you back then"

He just looks at her and says:

"Well, it might have been better if you told me!"

He turns his back to her then turns around and asks:

"Who knew about this?"

She looks at Trapper then says:

"Colonel Potter"

His eyes bulge out and he yells out:

"Colonel Potter?!"

He looks around the room then walks over to his uniform and starts to scream at it but just then, in Sherman Potter's kind voice, he hears the words"

'Wasn't my secret to tell son'

He turns back to Margaret and Trapper then asks Trapper point blank:

"So what about you? Did you know?"

He looks at Margaret and says:

"I just found out back in February and I promised!"

Hawkeye laughs bitterly then says:

"Oh yeah? Just like you haven't broken a few other promises? Margaret, I…"

He can't finish his sentence because Daniel Pierce sticks his head in and says:

"Hawkeye, two buses full of the town's school kids just crashed and fell from the bridge, we need to go"

He looks at Margaret and Margaret sees Daniel Pierce for the first time. A tall man, a little shorter than Hawkeye and with a shock full of snow white hair, steel blue eyes that are darker than Holly's or Hawkeye's…almost like the deep blue of the ocean and a sharp nose. Margaret and Trapper look at each other then she says like a force of habit:

"Let's go people!"

They go to help save lives now.

**A/N—I know this was short but I wanted to leave that cliffhanger for you. The next chapter will be long! Who did Daniel remind you all of? *Hint, hint* Watch the movie 'Snow Dogs' and old westerns.**


	21. Chapter 21 Applesauce bridge

**A/N-On the character of Daniel, I'm truly sorry if some of you disagree with my version of him. I'm thinking Hawkeye's dad is a tough man, I would think he would be to be a doctor, to have only read 'Last of the Mohicans', gone through his wife's death and raise a man like his son. But still tender enough to be broken by a 3 year old child's love. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I have thought about it for a long time. Note--I do not know any medical terms outside of M*A*S*H so if there is any mistakes...forgive me.**

Hawkeye, Margaret and Trapper came almost running into the clinic and Hawkeye opened up a door and said:

"Good, what nurses we have, they have already got the waiting room ready"

Margaret looks in and the room is big enough for four tables already set up and Hawkeye says:

"Margaret, gowns, masks and rubber gloves are kept in there"

He points to a closet across the hall, she shakes her head, goes and gets them and Trapper asks:

"Where are the patients?"

Hawkeye looks back into the makeshift waiting room/operation room and he says:

"It looks like they got four waiting, hurry Margaret!"

She puts on a gown and mask and tells Hawkeye:

"Go wash your hands while I put on Trapper's or has it been so long you forgot?"

He lets out a low growl and she dresses Trapper and they all go wash their hands then go into the operation room and Hawkeye goes to the patient in the far right corner and looks at Margaret and says:

"I'm sorry Margaret, looks like you get to play anesthesiologist and nurse"

She nods it off and Hawkeye looks at a small boy about 10 or 11 and smiles and says:

"Hello, I'm Doctor Hawkeye Pierce"

The pale face boy says

"H-hi"

Hawkeye puts on a brave face for the boy and asks:

"What's your name?"

The boy tells him:

"Sherman....Sherman Miller sir"

Hawkeye and Margaret look at each other and Hawkeye asks him:

"How are you Sherman?"

The boy closes his eyes and says:

"It h-hurts sir, al-all I remember is fall-ing down and a seat hitting me...am I going to die?"

Hawkeye tells him:

"Nah, you're just going to go to sleep..."

He looks at Margaret and says:

"As soon as the nice lady gets the machine to working!"

While frantically working, she says:

"These things are so..rusted or whatever, it's hard to get it started! There, now, I'm just going to put this over you and you'll just go to sleep"

She puts the mask on Sherman and Hawkeye looks at Trapper who is doing the same thing on his patient as Margaret and Hawkeye says:

"I'm sorry Trapper"

Trapper waves him off then says:

"It's good practice, besides, I can't let her have all the fun"

Margaret smiles and Trapper goes to operate on his patient then Margaret asks:

"Where are the kids?"

Hawkeye looks at her then says:

"I don't know, I guess we'll ask dad when he comes in here"

Both doctors and one nurse frantically work then a pregnant woman comes in from the front door, she looks around and says :

"Hawkeye?"

Hawkeye looks up and smiles and says:

"Amy! Everybody! This is Amy Clark, the lady who sent us the letters remember?"

He specially says that to Margaret and Margaret shakes her head yes then Amy says:

"What do I do Hawk?"

He looks at her and says:

"You're not a nurse"

She puts her hands on her hips and says:

"Look Hawkeye, I helped a brother become a doctor and a sister become a nurse, I think I should qualify, besides what other choice do you have?"

Hawkeye looks at Trapper and Margaret and they all shake their heads then he says:

"Go wash up and put on a gown and mask, you can help Trapper here"

She shakes her head then goes out to do all that Hawkeye said then Trapper says:

"That's nice but we can still use some help here"

Hawkeye agrees and goes back to operating on Sherman then a few minutes later, the doors to the waiting room open and in comes several older boys about college age, and they have on masks and the leader of the boys says out:

"Hawkeye!"

Hawkeye looks up and says:

"Pharaoh!"

Pharaoh looks around and says:

"I bought some guys to help, what do you need us to do?"

Hawkeye does some cutting on Sherman then says:

"Yeah, I need you guys to be orderlies, when I yell pick up or litter, come get a patient off of here and take them out to a bed…prep a guy for surgery, take off jewelry or anything, take x rays if you can, Pharaoh, you remember how?"

He shakes his head confidently then says:

"I remember it all…"

He turns to the gangly group and says:

"Come on let's get going!"

They back up and scramble to get busy then Trapper says:

"That's something!"

Margaret smiles and asks:

"Who is he?"

Without even thinking Hawkeye says:

"Pharaoh, he works here as a orderly, he knows this hospital inside and out"

Trapper asks him:

"Why is he called 'Pharaoh?'"

Hawkeye looks at him and says:

"I don't really know but he'll get things done, he's good at organizing, like Radar but without the abilities and they guy with him? That was Sergeant, again I don't know why they call him that but he _commands_ those guys, they'll get the job done and I don't have to worry"

Just then Amy comes back in suited up and Hawkeye says:

"Amy, this is Trapper, Trapper, Amy"

They shake their heads at each other and Amy looks at Sherman and says:

"That boy? Sherman Miller? He shouldn't have even been on that bus"

Hawkeye looks at her and asks:

"Then why was he?"

Trapper says 'Suture' and she gives it to him and says:

"His brother is on the team, he begged his mother to go watch his big brother, now he's laying in the hall"

Hawkeye mutters a swear word then they hear the doors open and they hear:

"Surprise!"

Hawkeye and Margaret look up to see B. J. Hunnicut and wife! B.J. has his arms spread open and Hawkeye screams:

"Beej! Is that really you?"

He looks around at the madness and says:

"Yeah, Peg and I are visiting her aunt in Augusta and we thought we'd come down for a visit here in you Paradise Valley"

Hawkeye yells:

"Pick up!"

The boys come and get Sherman and Hawkeye says:

"I'm afraid I have to ask you B.J. to go suit up"

B.J. shakes his head and turns to leave and Hawkeye asks Peg:

"Peg, you went to nursing school right?"

Peg shakes her head and says:

"Finished 4th in my class"

Hawkeye tells her while Margaret's eyes bulge out:

"You help B.J"

Peg says 'Okay' then goes to dress her husband and herself then the boys come in with another patient for Hawkeye and B.J. goes over to a table, the boys bring in a small teenage girl for him to operate on, he tries to smile and Peg puts the anesthesia on her and Trapper asks Hawkeye:

"Hawk, I'm going to ask you this, not that this isn't fun, but why can't we take some of these kids to Neddrick or that other town Kittery?"

Hawkeye smiles sarcastically under his mask and says:

"I assume when you both came into town, you crossed over the bridge?"

Trapper says:

"Oh yes, the rumble one"

Hawkeye shakes his head and says while operating:

"That's the only way in or out of Crabapple Cove, this town was founded in 1847 and there has not been found another way in or out, it's crazy by the way, we all that bridge 'Applesauce bridge'"

Amy adds her two cents in:

"And when the two buses got on that bridge, it just couldn't take the weight and broke and the buses plunged 40 feet into water"

Margaret shivers and B.J. says:

"Buses? Did you say buses?"

Amy shakes her head and he looks at Peg then says:

"When we were on that bridge, I thought I saw buses way behind me but they were going so slow, we were gone when they crossed"

Amy says:

"That bridge is so old, it should have been torn down ages ago"

Trapper stretches his back and yells out:

"Pick-up"!"

The boys come to pick up the teenager Trapper operated on and Hawkeye's dad comes in:

"Dad!"

Daniel rubs his eyes then says:

"I thought I would come in here quickly and check on things"

Margaret asks him:

"Where are the kids?"

Daniel sighs then says:

"Next door, with Joe Freemont and his wife"

Hawkeye looks up and says:

"Dad, Joe Freemont?"

Daniel tells him:

"Well, it's not like I had a choice son and you know that his wife, Daphne would, pardon me for saying this would throw herself under a bus before something happens to those kids!"

All goes quiet and the only sounds is of the doctors operating and then Hawkeye says:

"Dad, B.J. came just to help us"

Daniel looks at him and says:

"Thank God, at least California has sense to send you to Maine, if you all will excuse me"

He leaves then Margaret asks:

"What was that about?"

Hawkeye tells them:

"That's a sore spot with dad, Joe Freemont is my biggest critic since coming home and his wife Daphne, she's been trying to get pregnant for years, dad has checked her out every way possible and nothing is wrong that he can find"

Margaret says:

"Oh no"

Hawkeye throws down a sponge then continues:

"She gave up everything to come here, she's from England, she just loves it here and loves Joe, God only knows why but she can't get pregnant"

Hawkeye looks over at B. J. and asks:

"What did you two have?"

B.J. looks at Peg and says:

"A girl"

Hawkeye smiles as does Margaret and then he asks him:

"What did you name her?"

B.J. smiles as wide as a ocean and says:

"P.J."

Hawkeye looks at Margaret then tells B.J.:

"You're crazy"

B.J. and Peg laugh then B.J. says:

"Yes but you're insane"

Everybody laughs and goes back to operating.

After a looooong while, they all come out of the 'operation' room fully exhausted, Margaret and Hawkeye take off their masks and sit down in chairs while everybody else mingles around and he looks at her and says humbly:

"Look Margaret, I'm sorry, I thought about it and I guess those times back then wasn't the best to tell anybody anything…I'm still not happy about it all but…I guess I understand now"

She smiles and says:

"Thank you"

She leans against him exhausted and then Trapper says:

"Now to get all those patients to a bed"

Everybody groans then the door opens and Pharaoh in and he says:

"Hawkeye, a bunch of mothers came over, they were all nervous and everything waiting so I had them get a bunch of beds ready and to even gets cots and whatever from their houses if need be"

Everybody sighs and Hawkeye says:

"Thank you Pharaoh"

He leaves and Daniel says:

"I'm sorry son if I snapped back there"

Hawkeye gently smiles and says:

"It's okay dad, things are crazy now"

Daniel smiles then the doors to the clinic open again and this time comes in a man of about 5'3", black hair and in a three piece suit and carrying a briefcase and he looks around and asks:

"Is everything okay? Is everybody okay?"

Hawkeye says:

"This ladies and gentlemen is Glenn O' Conner, our mayor's assistant who is supposed to be in charge of small things like repairs of **bridges** and things like that here in Crabapple Cove"

He smiles weakly then asks again:

"Is everybody okay?"

Hawkeye says:

"They are all fine Glenn but the thing is, it didn't need to happen in the first place did it?"

He looks sheepishly and weakly says:

"Well…."

The ladies in the room all get a new breath of life in them and they all start to gather around Glenn and Margaret says:

"What?! You mean you were in charge of that bridge?" "Well, I…."

Margaret stands up and says:

"If my daughter was on that bridge, you wouldn't even be standing!"

He just looks around for help from nowhere and then Margaret asks:

"How old was that bridge?"

Amy says:

"At least 35, 40 years old"

Margaret's eyes pop open and she asks:

"When was the last time it was inspected?"

Everybody looks at Glenn and he says in a weak voice:

"It passed the last time we inspected it and it seemed fine"

Amy asks:

"When?"

He touches his glasses then says:

"I can't remember"

Amy and Margaret both say:

"What?"

Just then Peg comes out and Margaret says:

"Oh Peg, this is the man who is supposed to be in charge of repairs on bridges!"

Peg looks at him hard and goes over and all 3 ladies start a word barrage on him and Hawkeye looks at the guys and says:

"You fellows want some coffee?"

They go over and each get a cup then Hawkeye asks:

"Do you think anything will be left of him?"

B.J. laughs and pours the coffee in each cup then says:

"Not even for the squirrels"

They laugh and watch as the small man grabs his briefcase and holds on to it like a lifeguard.

**A/N-Don't think it's over, Hawkeye forgave Margaret but what about Trapper? Keep reading! You guys rock!**


	22. Chapter 22 SOunds of the Night

It was later that same day, only it was night, somewhere between 11 and 12 o'clock. Trapper had gone into the side building of Hawkeye's house on the left side of the building; Hawkeye had converted the side porch into a 'bar' ( just like Hawk ) and Trapper was sitting there drinking a martini. Just then Hawkeye and B.J . come in, Hawkeye looks slightly surprised but not by much, he goes over and sits on the stool beside him and B.J. stands beside eating the salted nuts sitting out on the bar and Hawkeye asks Trapper:

"I see you found the place"

Trapper takes a sip then says:

"Yep, I said something to your dad that I would like a drink and he told me about this place you guys had built"

Hawkeye leans over the bar and pulls out two beers, one for himself and one for B.J., he gives B.J. his then opens his, takes a sip and then says:

"Well, if you guys remember, I've been without patients for a long time now, except for the occasional broken arm, scratched knees and such so I had this place built; we had the extra room, so…"

Hawkeye and B.J look around then Trapper says:

"You did a good job"

Hawkeye takes a sip then says:

"Thanks"

After a few minutes, he takes another sip then asks Trapper:

"You probably know more about my daughter than anybody in the room right now, what's, what's she like?"

B.J. looks surprised and asks:

"Daughter?"

Hawkeye looks at him and says:

"Well, that night before we left Korea, Margaret and I shared more than a kiss, we…"

He waves his hand around a little and B.J. says:

"Ah"

Hawkeye looks at Trapper and asks:

"So, what's she like?"

Trapper thinks and laughs then sips and tells him:

"Well, she has a problem pronouncing words, she sometimes leaves off the first or second letters…she's crazy about Little Dot, the comic book character?"

Hawkeye laughs then says:

"What? She can't even read!"

Trapper shrugs his shoulders and says:

"Well, a neighborhood girl from back in Chicago got her hooked, she like to eat chicken and corn…"

He hits his fist against the bar and says angrily:

"You only known her for what? A few months and you know more about her than I should!"

Trapper puts down his drink and says:

"It wasn't my fault!"

He shouts back:

"It certainly wasn't mine!"

Trapper shouts back:

"Listen, Margaret was alone and afraid, she didn't know whether to tell you or not in the condition you were in!"

Hawkeye shouts:

"Why didn't you get her to tell me sooner, you know how much time I lost?!"

Trapper looks at him incredibly and says:

"Do I know how much time you lost? I lost three years with my girls if you remember"

Hawkeye shouts back:

"They are with you now!"

Trapper looks dejected and says:

"That's only because Louise dumped them on me"

Both Hawkeye and B.J. look at each other and at the same time ask:

"What?"

Trapper looks at both men and says:

"Yes, Margaret, Holly and myself went to go see the girls and when I got there, Louise is pregnant and…she says she can't handle the girls and the new baby so…"

Hawkeye rubs his brow then asks:

"Does she want them back?"

Trapper takes a gulp of his drink then says:

"Oh no, she made that pretty clear"

B.J and Hawkeye say:

"Oy"

Hawkeye then shouts out:

"So why do you want mine?"

Trapper takes one last gulp from his drink then asks Hawkeye:

"Who said I wanted yours?"

Hawkeye then asks:

"So it's Margaret?"

Trapper doesn't say anything and Hawkeye scoffs then says:

"You're still trying to get her after all these years? The same old Trapper"

Defensively, Trapper points his finger out and says:

"That was the old Trapper, you haven't been around this new Trapper in years so don't tell me I haven't changed, the only thing different about you is you built a drunk tank on your house!"

Hawkeye stands up and shouts out:

"I'm not so sure I want you as a step-father for my daughter!"

Trapper yells back:

"Well, it's not up to you, it's up to Margaret and if she does; you can't do a number one thing about it!"

Hawkeye starts to draw back his fist to hit him but then they hear the door slam shut and there stands Margaret in blazing glory. Even her sunshine blond hair shows a tint of rage in them and she looks at both men then says:

"What is going on?!"

Hawkeye and Trapper look at each other like boys caught with their hands in cookie jars and Hawkeye says:

"Nothing"

Margaret looks at Trapper and he mumbles:

"We were just discussing…uh…things"

She walks over to them and says:

"Discussing! Ha! I was just told by Sergeant and Peg that they could hear you 'discussing' things over to the clinic! Now, **IF **boys will remember, we have patients, very young patients, some even in this house! You were so loud that Daniel had the TV up as loud as he dared then he had to take the girls up to the attic!"

B. J. asks:

"The attic?"

Hawkeye explains:

"Well, when we were in Korea, dad didn't have much to do so he converted the attic into like this play land with a TV, a record player, games; even a pinball machine, the kids of his patients love it! Even me"

He smiles and for the first time Margaret looks around the bar and says:

"Why does this look familiar?"

Hawkeye stumbles on his own words then says:

"Well, when I came back home, I, uh, didn't have many patients, had a lot of time on my hands so I made this side room out of our porch…we really didn't need all that extra space so…"

Margaret eyes him and says:

"So you made your own 'Officer's Club?"

Hawkeye laughs and says:

"It isn't a officer's Club…it's uh, her club"

He points to a picture of his mother above the bar, on the wall and Margaret looks and it is the same picture of his mother as in the living room but at the bottom is a piece of paper stuck in that says-'Elisabeth Ruth Pierce-1899-1940'. Margaret smiles then she turns to Hawkeye and says:

"Whatever it is, it's still no place to be raising your voices, both of you, when there is patients not very far from here and both of your daughters in this very house! Now, clam up or I'll do it for you!"

Hawkeye and Trapper look at each other then Trapper asks:

"The girls are still up?"

Margaret rolls her eyes then says:

"My Word, yes! Daphne, the woman they were with today? To keep them busy, she took them all around Crabapple Cove then she showed them a English tradition, she had a tea party with them! Holly drank tea today"

Hawkeye can't help but notice how she is directing this part of the conversation to Trapper. Margaret then says:

"Come on Trapper, let's go try to put the girls to bed"

He shakes his head and just before they go out the door, Margaret turns and says to Hawkeye:

"And you! Turn it down some"

She turns to leave and when she does, Trapper turns his head to Hawkeye and makes the sound 'Nyah'. Hawkeye just sits down and looks to B.J. and sighs.

Outside Margaret smiles to herself as she walks over to the front of the house with Trapper in tow and he asks:

"Uh, did you hear anything in there?"

Margaret innocently shakes her head and says:

"No, was I supposed to?"

He scratches his head and says:

"Uh, no, no, let's go to the girls"

She shakes her head and he goes on ahead and she remembers the words: 'I'm not so sure I want you for a step-father for my daughter!' 'Well, it's not up to you, it's up to Margaret and if she does; there's not thing one you can do about it!'

She smiles and goes on in the house.


	23. Chapter 23 Forgiveness all Around

**A/N-I think some of you may have realized where I'm going with this story and are...disappointed, but please stick with me! I have at least two ( Okay, maybe 3 ) more BIG surprises, if your heart can take it! **

Margaret walked around the beautiful back yard of the Pierce's, she was just amazed by the beauty of the land. She wasn't surprised by Hawkeye's and Daniel's love for it.

She came upon a clear, running stream and the sound of a small waterfall and she looked around and saw several rocks with grass sticking out and clear water running down but it didn't mask the sound of footsteps and she looked up and saw Hawkeye. He had his hands in his pockets and a small smile on then he comes over and asks:

"You found it?"

She looks around then asks:

"What?"

His eyes look around at the beautiful green scenery and he says simply:

"This…place, it's a place that we all love…my dad…me and even mom came here to just sit and think"

She then looks down in the water and sees a rock and says:

"Is that why that's down there?"

He looks down and sees a smooth stone in the running water with the initials 'E + D' and he smiles and says:

"I never noticed that before!"

She smiles and he smiles and they look around the place in silence then he finally says:

"Margaret, I'm sorry about last night, I guess I just had some steam to blow off"

She smiles and says:

"That's okay, this is a…unique situation for us all"

He smiles and asks:

"Where's Trapper?"

Margaret tells him:

"Oh, Kathy asked me to go into town and get some film for her camera"

He shakes his head okay then he looks at Margaret as she looks around and she turns to look at a bird in a tree and he goes up to her and kisses her then after a few seconds, they separate and he asks her:

"You don't love me?"

She replies back:

"And you don't love me"

He smiles and shakes his head no and she laughs then asks:

"Then why did…you do that?"

He shrugs his shoulders in a Hawkeye Pierce kind of way and they laugh then he finally says:

"I just felt like it was the thing to do since we have her"

She nods her head then he asks her another question:

"Do you love him?"

She looks around then quietly says:

"I don't know"

He puts his arm around her shoulder and they walk back to the house when they see a car driving up and parking in front of the house and Holly, Kathy and Becky all run out, Becky is holding a large piece of paper and Holly screams:

"Momma! Momma!"

Margaret scoops her up and she asks:

"What?"

Holly says:

'Aphne took us to this great place!"

Hawkeye and Margaret watch a slender woman get out of the car and she smiles and Hawkeye says:

"Daphne!"

She and Hawkeye hug and shake hands then Daphne says:

"Becky show him the drawing"

Becky shows him a pencil drawing of a beautiful lake scene with trees all around and he exclaims:

"You took them to Carry Lake!"

The tall brunette with a soft smile and a twinkle in her eyes says:

"Yes"

Becky jumps up and down and asks:

"You recognize it?"

Hawkeye smiles and says:

"Yes, I could tell you stories about this place"

Kathy pleads:

"Please tell us!"

Margaret puts Holly down and she says:

"Tell us daddy!"

Margaret and Hawkeye's heart stops and he looks at his daughter and says:

"You called me Daddy"

Holly looks innocently around then says:

"You are my daddy"

He smiles and takes Holly's hand and goes back to the porch and puts the picture down and turns around and says:

"Okay, this is when I was a boy, a little younger than Becky, when I was 9. That lake? We call it Carry Lake because it has carried us, all of us kids through the summers with swimming and in the winter"

Becky asks:

"What can you do with it in the winter?"

Hawkeye says:

"Skate, you've seen people skating on them haven't you?"

Becky and Kathy shake their heads and Hawkeye continues the story:

"Well, when I was 9, everybody would scream: '_**Get on the ice! Get on the ice!'…."**_

And he slaps his hands on his pants then says:

"We would, we would put on our thickest woolen pants, two, sometimes three shirts, gloves, scarves and hats and our skates and go out there and just skate! It was so much fun! Kids doing the craziest of things, we would skate circles, make Snowman with our skates, do all kinds of things, I think one time we even had a hockey game but there was one time, we were all skating, having fun doing this, doing that when…this woman came out one day and everybody made room for her…she did amazing things…"

He makes silly skating movements to show the girls and they all giggle and then he says:

"Then when she stopped, she stopped and got off"

Kathy asks:

"Who was that?"

Hawkeye just looks and says:

"Her name was Elizabeth"

Margaret smiles and then Daniel comes out and all three girls exclaim:

"Grandpa!"

They go up to hug him and Margaret says:

"Becky, Kathy…he's not your grandfather"

They both insist:

"Yes, he is!"

Margaret looks at Hawkeye and he smiles and he notices Daphne staying by her car. Then Joe Freemont, her husband comes and gets her hand and other people start to mingle down and Hawkeye and Daniel look at each other then when all the people get there…enough people to fill up a car lot and Joe clears his throat then says:

"I'm going to start this off since I have been the main one…I just want to say I'm sorry Hawkeye, I know I have been your worst nightmare but…I was in the same shape you were when I was in WW 2 but you handled it much better than I ever did and, well, I couldn't see how you were doing that"

Another blond haired woman walks up with tears in her eyes and she says:

"Dr. Pierce, I am the mother of the Miller boys, Glenn and Sherman Miller, I think my boy was the first one you operated on…"

Hawkeye shakes his head and says:

"Yes, he was"

Sherman's mother says:

"Sherman has told me that you are to be the only doctor we go"

Another person in the vast crowd says:

"And I'm tired of going to those fancy city doctors! My arthritis is bothering me again and I need you doc!"

The crowd says:

"Yes!"

Daphne walks up to him and says:

"Hawkeye, I think, I'm not sure but I think I'm pregnant and I would like you to do a test to confirm it, I mean I could be wrong; I have never been…."

Hawkeye smiles and says:

"Go right over and make appointment with my secretary, I think I can see you first thing in the morning"

She smiles then a 60 something, very elegant British woman comes up and Daphne says:

"Oh, this is my mother, she's been having some problems lately with her back and I was wondering…"

Hawkeye sees the proper English woman then says:

"Well, I'm not good with backs, dad here is the specialist in that area"

Daniel quickly stands up and smiles and says:

"Um, ma'm? I'm Doctor Pierce"

She puts out her delicate hand for him to shake and she says:

"My name is Blanche, Blanche Commons…It's my back doctor"

He smiles and says:

"Please call me Daniel, all my patients call me Daniel"

Everybody smiles and Hawkeye says:

"I'm just not good at bones and such…yuck"

Everybody laughs as Daniel and Blanche go off to the side to talk and Margaret watches Trapper drive home and she smiles.

Later that day…Margaret listens to the sounds of children's laughing and she watches Trapper play with his daughters with Holly and she smiles while drinking lemonade and she sees the sunshine all around her and she thinks:

'_What did I see in Frank Burns? Well, he is rich…but I should have known he wouldn't leave his wife...she was the gutless wonder lifeline…he didn't have any lips or chin'_

She puts down the drink in the shade on the patio table then another picture comes to her mind:

'_Donald…he was handsome but he…wasn't there...even when he was…..he was rich, more money than Frank or Louise but no substance. He was good in bed but that was no marriage…__What__ do I want?'_

She looks at Trapper and the girls then she gets up and goes inside.


	24. Chapter 24 Questions and answers

Trapper opened a door to a dark room, he looked around and flipped a switch and there stood Margaret in a yellow dress with spaghetti straps and a pearl necklace that she looped twice around her neck and white high heels. As soon as the lights came on, she turned on the record player and a song that he recognized right away came on: **'Love me' by Elvis Presley.** He walked over to her with a stunned reaction on his face and she just floated her arms around his neck and he stumbles out the words:

"I, um, I got a n-note that said to meet you here"

She just smiles and says:

"Daphne told me about this place and I when I got here and saw it, I knew it was perfect"

He looks puzzled then asks:

"For what?"

Her heart beats so loud within her that she is afraid he can hear it then she just gets both his strong hands that can make or break a person and she looks in his blue eyes and says:

"I love you"

His breath stops.

She then continues to say:

"I have known you for since 1951, we have been through some crazy things…a war, bad marriages..."

Her eyes twinkle and she says:

"Children! And now we both live in Chicago, work in a hospital and have traveled across the country and you did that just for me...."

He stops her and says:

"That's because I love you too"

She lays her head on his chest then she raises her head and looks at him and asks:

"Will you marry me?"

All sounds stops, the sounds of his own heart stops and he just hears Elvis singing.

He recovers and asks softly and slowly:

"W-what?"

She stomps her foot lightly and says:

"Don't make me say it again"

He smiles and says:

"Of coarse I will"

He picks her up and twirls her around then puts her down and asks:

"Um, haven't we got this backward? Aren't I supposed to be the one to ask?"

She coyly looks around then says:

"I couldn't wait"

He lets out a breath then gets down on one knee and asks Margaret:

"Will you marry me?"

Tears start to form in her eyes and she says:

"Yes"

He stands up and holds her and they dance slowly to the rest of the song.

Later back at Hawkeye's house, Margaret falls backward on the bed and she screams like a little girl and she says:

"I can't believe it! Mrs. Margaret McIntrye! I'm going to be Mrs. Margaret McIntrye!"

He gets up and walks over to the window and says to herself:

"I know he'll ask Hawkeye to be best man but who will I….?"

A idea comes to her and she runs out into the hall and grabs the phone, picks it up and listens for a dial tone then dials a number, waits a few minutes then says:

"Hi…it's Margaret! Yes, we're okay…the reason I'm calling is that I'm getting married! Yes! To Trapper and uh, well, I was hoping you would be my maid of honor…."

Margaret hears a friendly little scream come out of the phone then she continues:

"We're here in Crabapple Cove, Maine…can you come? Oh great! Listen, call me when you get here and I'll come get you! Thanks! Bye!"

Margaret hangs up and goes back to her room still smiling.

A few days later, Margaret, Trapper and Hawkeye are all in the living room. Hawkeye sits down on a footstool and Hawkeye asks:

"You sure you don't want one of us to go get her?"

She just throws a napkin into her purse and says:

"Listen, she's my friend, I don't want a total stranger to go get her"

Trapper looks at Hawkeye and asks Margaret:

"You want me to go with you?"

Margaret sighs and says:

"No, it's not like the sight of a plane is going to have me go into spirals, you two just stay here…"

Margaret goes over to the door and says to Trapper:

"Besides you're not allowed out of this house until we are married"

Hawkeye says:

"Be careful of that ferry, after we confirmed Daphne's pregnancy, they were going to tell Joe's parents, they live in Neddrick and…"

He begins to laugh but still manages to say:

"They barely got across that ferry when Joe had to come back and get seasick pills!"

They all laugh and Margaret says:

"Well, that's Joe, he has a stomach like Frank had a chin! I'll be okay"

Trapper asks Hawkeye:

"Did they say how long it will be to build a new bridge?"

Hawkeye shrugs his shoulders and says:

"They had a town hall meeting last night and dad said it could be a year, in the meantime, the head honchos of this town are looking for a new route in and out of here but for now, we have to settle for a ferry that our ancestors left out on!"

Margaret firmly says:

"I'm going"

She leaves and firmly shuts the door leaving Hawkeye and Trapper looking at each other.

Margaret drives up to the huge wooden ferry and carefully drives her car on it, hearing the small thud as her car goes on then gets out, shuts the door and feels another thud, this time a little stronger and she grabs her stomach and says to herself:

"I can't get scared of everything or I'll never get on any type of transportation"

She smiles to herself and enjoys the rest of the ride.

Margaret excitedly waits in the waiting room of the airport then she sees her. Lorraine!

Margaret gets up and runs and the ladies hug then they separate then Margaret asks:

"You didn't have any trouble getting off?"

Lorraine shakes her head then says:

"When I told Ron where I was going and what for, he said, 'What are you waiting for?' So I got on a plane as fast as I could, the kids are with my sister"

Margaret squeezes her right hand then notices or feels that something is missing and she looks at her friends hand then Lorraine says:

"I felt it was time"

Margaret smiles and shakes her head in agreement then the two ladies go on.

Margaret and Lorraine drive up into Hawkeye's yard and Trapper comes out and he has a big smile on his face and says:

"Hey! Hey!"

They hug and he says:

"Hey, what were you _thinking_ when you sent us to Bloomington?"

She laughs then says:

"Now you know why I had to leave, they just kept me absorbed in Henry"

He laughs and asks her:

"So you decided to torture us? Girl, you got a hot foot coming!"

They laugh and Margaret comes up and asks:

"You want to go to your room? And get settled?"

Lorraine looks up at the house and asks:

"This is where Hawkeye lives?"

Margaret says:

"Yes"

Lorraine asks:

"He also served with Henry?"

Trapper shakes his head then says:

"He can tell you about Henry and not lay in on thick"

Margaret puts her arm around Lorraine's shoulder then says:

"Come on"

Just then Hawkeye opens the screen door and comes out and starts to say something but he sees Lorraine and all thoughts of speech leave, Lorraine blushes and Margaret says:

"Hawkeye, Lorraine….Lorraine, Hawkeye Pierce"

A small 'Hi' comes from Hawkeye and so does Lorraine and Margaret knows that it is almost useless to say anything else because she might as well speak Chinese. And she tries to asks Hawkeye:

"How's Holly?"

He doesn't answer and Margaret looks at Trapper and asks Hawkeye again:

"Hawkeye, Holly?"

Hawkeye says:

"Hm, oh, she's fine"

Hawkeye politely opens the screen door for Lorraine and Margaret whispers to Trapper:

"I have a good feeling about this"

He just smiles and chuckles to himself and shakes his head and puts his arm around Margaret and they go in.

After a while when Hawkeye begins to speak to other people, Lorraine looks out the kitchen window and asks:

"The wedding will be out here?"

Margaret smiles at Trapper and says:

"Yes"

She has a small cup of coffee in her hands then puts it down then says:

"Only thing is…."

Trapper puts down his cup then asks her:

"What is it?"

She looks at him and everybody else then says:

"I wish Father Mulcahy was here to marry us"

Hawkeye asks her:

"Really? He married you and Donald"

She smiles and says:

"It doesn't matter, that was then"

Just then Daniel walks in and he goes to the coffee pot and asks:

"What are you talking about?"

Trapper says:

"Margaret was just saying she would like Father Mulcahy to marry us"

Daniel turns and cocks his eyebrow and asks Hawkeye:

Hawkeye? Didn't you tell me…."

He stands up and says VERY loud:

"THAT IT'S TIME TO TAKE THE GIRLS OVER TO DAPHNE'S FOR TEA"

Everybody looks at him in a questioning way and when Daniel looks at Hawkeye, Hawk quickly winks his eye and Daniel understands then says:

"I'll go get them"

Hawkeye asks him:

"Why don't you take them dad?"

Daniel asks:

"Why? It's just across the road"

Hawkeye sighs then says:

"Dad, Holly is 3 years old, she lives in Chicago, she could pick up a snake in the road, I mean after all, look at her mother!"

Margaret picks up a pillow from behind her back and hits Hawkeye and he says:

"Ouch, we need to get rid of that pillow"

They all laugh then Lorraine asks after Daniel and Hawkeye leave:

"What was that all about?"

Margaret rolls her eyes then says:

"I don't know and I don't want to know"

Everybody laughs and Hawkeye comes back in the room and sits down next to Lorraine.

Daniel takes the girls who are skipping across the street and he knocks on the door and Daphne answers and smiles and says:

"Come on in! Everything's ready!"

The girls squeal and Blanche sits down at the table and says:

"Oh, doctor Pierce, do come in"

He smiles and says:

"I don't want to interfere"

Daphne says:

"Oh nonsense, we have more than enough"

He scratches his head then says:

"Well, okay"

He goes to sit down across from Becky and Kathy and Holly and Daphne serves tea in all their cups and Daniel and Blanche share a look and a smile but then Daniel notices Becky having trouble swallowing and he asks:

"Are you okay Becky?"

She looks at him and blushes then says:

"I'm fine, it was just, uh, a little hot"

Daniel shakes his head but keeps watching her then asks:

"Daphne, could I talk to you? Over there?"

Daphne shakes her head and they go over and Daniel asks:

"Daphne, has she been having trouble like this?"

Daphne looks at the 10 year old child then says:

"Yes, just the other day but I just assumed it was because it's strong, Earl Grey tea is strong for children but Holly and Kathy don't have any problems"

He shakes his head then goes over and sits down to continue drinking his tea while keep watching his "granddaughter".


	25. Chapter 25 A Wedding but still questions

**In this story, I have a disease coming on one of the major characters, I have done some research on the symptoms and I'm sorry if I don't have it accurately portrayed. I'm doing my best but please read and review as always!**

Margaret was softly and carefully touching the beautiful antique wedding dress that Daniel had insisted she wear, she wasn't marrying Hawkeye so she didn't feel right about wearing the dress but Daniel said 'If Elisabeth was here, she would insist! They never had a daughter and that made Elisabeth so sad, this would make her happy knowing you wore it' So Margaret did. She never saw anything so beautiful! Everybody was outside in the back yard preparing for today! Lorraine wouldn't let her outside, she even had breakfast in here…a soft knock came on the door before Margaret could have another thought and Margaret said:

"Come in"

Her door opened and her small daughter came in. Holly looked uncertain, a confused 3 year old child and Margaret says:

"Come on in Holly"

Holly softly steps in and asks her mother:

"You wanted to see me momma?"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Yes, come here honey"

Holly goes in and Margaret sits on the bed and pulls Holly on her lap then asks her:

"Do you know what's happening today Holly?"

Holly thinks a second then says:

"No"

Margaret brushes her hair with her fingers then says:

"I'm getting married, do you know what that is?"

Holly thinks on it then says:

"A little"

Margaret smiles then says:

"Well, it's like Cinderella and the Prince"

Holly asks:

"You're going to marry a prince?"

Margaret laughs then says:

"Well, not a prince but I'm going to marry Trapper"

Holly asks:

"Will he be my daddy?"

Margaret says:

"No honey, Hawkeye is your daddy, don't you like him?"

Holly shakes her head in a hard yes and says:

"I love him and grandpa Daniel!"

Margaret hugs her young daughter then says:

"Trapper will be your step daddy"

Holly sits straight up and asks:

"I'll have two daddies?"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Yes and Kathy and Becky will be your sisters"

Holly jumps down and runs to the door and Margaret asks:

"Where are you going?"

Holly says:

"To tell Kathy and Becky!"

Holly opens and runs out with the door slamming behind her and Margaret falls back on the bed laughing.

At that same time, outside, Hawkeye walks up and down the rows of lawn chairs that have been put out for the guests and he undoes his tie because of the heat and he looks up and he sees Lorraine standing there in a powder blue maid of honor dress with a blue pillbox hat and white gloves on and he smiles. She looks at him and shakes her head then goes up to him and asks:

"Why did you undo that?"

He sees her pointing at his tie and he says:

"It's like a 104 degrees! I had to have some kind of relief"

She automatically starts doing his tie back and says:

"The wedding is in 10 minutes, I think you can control yourself"

He smiles as he watches her hands fly in getting the tie back in order then asks:

"Will you ever get married again?"

She stops then says:

" If the right man comes along"

She finally finishes tying and smoothes the tie down and he asks:

"Um, they are having a social or something in town Friday, would you…..would you….?"

She smiles and says:

"Yes"

Daniel comes along and says:

"The guests are coming"

Lorraine looks back at people coming, Daphne and Joe in front and she tells Hawkeye:

"I'm going to go help Margaret get dressed"

He shakes his head and she walks to the house and just as his hand rests on his tie, Lorraine says without turning around:

"Don't undo it!"

He raises his hand in surrender and Daniel smiles.

* * *

A knock comes on Margaret's door, she says:

"Come in!"

Hawkeye pokes his head in and says:

"Margaret, the minister wants to talk to you"

She looks at Lorraine and says:

"Probably just wants to go over details of the wedding, send him in"

Hawkeye steps back and Father Francis John Mulcahy steps in. Margaret looks up and sees him and she just glows and runs to him throwing her arms around and Lorraine looks confused while Margaret says:

"Father Mulcahy!"

He says:

"Margaret…how good to see you!"

She steps back and asks him:

"How did you know to come? Who…?"

She sees Hawkeye smile and she says:

"You! Thanks"

She then turns back to Father Mulcahy and asks:

"When did you get here? I thought you were still in Korea with Sister Theresa"

He sighs and says:

"I was but the church finally switched me to the United States, Maine in fact…it took a while but I'm working with the deaf…"

She shakes his hands then says:

"I'm glad you are here"

He looks down at the floor and says:

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for Colonel Potter's funeral"

She says:

"You were still in Korea, it would have been impossible for you to get here in time"

He shakes his head then Margaret remembers something then says:

"Oh Father! This is Lorraine Blake! She's going to be my Maid of Honor!"

They shake hands and he says:

"Lorraine! Good to finally meet you!"

Lorraine says:

"Good to meet you"

Hawkeye puts his face in then says:

"Just a few minutes until the wedding"

Father Mulcahy turns to Margaret and asks:

"Are you sure you want me to do the wedding? It won't bother you?"

Margaret shakes her head and says:

"Nonsense, go on"

He goes on ahead and Margaret and Lorraine giggle then Lorraine stands ahead of Margaret and goes out.

Lorraine stands on the back porch and she looks at Hawkeye and he plays a record of the song 'Here comes the Bride', she slowly walks down with Margaret right behind her and Hawkeye goes to stand beside Trapper then Trapper finally sees Margaret. He loses his breath for a minute, Hawkeye jabs him in the ribs then Margaret stands beside Trapper, takes his arm and Father Francis looks around and signals for everyone to sit down and he says:

"We are gathered here today to wed this woman Margaret Ann Holihan and John Xavier McIntrye in holy matrimony…"

Holly tugs on Kathy's dress and Kathy bends down and Holly asks:

"What's tomney? I thought they were getting married?"

Kathy smiles and whispers something to her soon baby step-sister then Father Mulcahy continues:

" John Xavier, do you promise to love, honor, and cherish Margaret Ann until the day death do you part?"

Trapper looks lovingly at Margaret and says:

"I do"

He then looks at Margaret and asks her the same question then she says:

"I do"

Father Mulcahy then proudly says:

"What God has put together let no man put asunder…now, by the power vested in me by God and the state of Maine, I pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride"

Trapper just stares lovingly at Margaret like he is in disbelief and Hawkeye leans over and says:

"Kiss her Trap"

Trapper gives that devil may care smile that only he can give, he gently lifts the veil and passionately kisses her so long in fact that Father M. gives his small smile and says:

"Oh Trapper"

They finally break for air then everybody cheers.

Later, a professional photographer goes around taking pictures of Margaret and Trapper, Hawkeye and Lorraine, Margaret, Trapper and Father Mulcahy….pictures of them eating cake, Margaret throwing the bouquet and Lorraine catching it…Trapper throwing the garter belt and Hawkeye catching it…Hawkeye and Holly…Holly and Trapper, Trapper with his girls.

Later just before Margaret goes in to change clothes, everybody is HOT from the heat of the day but Becky seems to be …sweating more and Lorraine finally notices it and she says:

"Hawkeye?"

He goes over and feels her forehead and Margaret and Trapper come over and Margaret asks:

"What's wrong?"

Hawkeye feels all over her face then says:

"I think it's just heatstoke, she needs to go in and lay down"

Trapper goes over and gently says:

"Go on honey"

She looks up at her dad lovingly and says:

"Okay daddy, I love you"

She hugs him and he says:

"I love you too honey"

She goes on in and Daniel watches the whole thing while he talks with Blanche.

Awhile later, Margaret and Trapper come outside the front door and Margaret asks:

"Now, are you sure this is okay with you Hawk? Keeping three kids is not easy"

Trapper says:

"We could take them with us"

Hawkeye looks his devilish way and says:

"Oh, I'm sure the newspapers would have a ball with that one, couple takes 3 kids on honeymoon with them"

Lorraine swats him on the arm and she says:

"I'll be here for at least another week"

Margaret looks at Trapper and smiles then Hawkeye asks"

"Wait a minute, before you go, when you first got here…on the porch, um, Holly said to you, 'Why isn't he smaller?' or something like that, what did she mean?"

Margaret laughs and calls for Holly and Holly comes, Margaret whispers something to her and she turns and goes to her room then comes back a few seconds later with the picture of Hawkeye they developed and Margaret hands it to Hawkeye and he bursts out laughing! Daniel comes driving up with a pulled apart sing set in the back of his truck and the girls come running out at the excitement of seeing it, Trapper stops Becky and asks:

"Are you okay Beck?"

She says:

"I'm okay daddy!"

Margaret asks:

"What is it Hawkeye?"

"After he quits laughing, he says:

"Dad! Come here!"

Daniel gets out and goes up and looks at the picture and snickers then Hawkeye says:

"This picture was taken about 3 weeks after I got home by a girl named Anita, Joe's daughter by his first marriage, and when I confirmed where I was in Korea, she of coarse didn't have anything to do with me, mainly thanks to Joe. She's married now and I think she moved to New Hampshire"

Trapper says:

"She must have sold the camera there because that's where we got the camera"

Daniel walks back down to the truck and says:

"Sergeant! Pharaoh! Get over here and help me unload this and put it together!"

Two big boys come over to help Daniel and Hawkeye says:

"Dad! Where did you get that?"

Daniel says:

"Bernice Roe, her grandkids are all grown up"

The girls squeal and Hawkeye and Trapper and Margaret wave goodbye. Trapper and Margaret drive off but Margaret doesn't see the girls running but Lorraine does…Becky's not moving hardly at all so she helps her sit down by Daniel.


	26. Chapter 26 Honeymoon in Maine

**A/N--If I have any readers under the age of 13, I'm not being rude, just shoo! Scat! This chapter will be um PG-13 I think. I want to show the passion of Trapper and Margaret, they had school kids passion on the show but I want to show how it has matured. This won't be smut but.....**

Trapper and Margaret walked together in a beautiful room...the wallpaper had roses on it and flowers all around and in the middle of the room is a bottle of champagne and two small champagne glasses beside it and Trapper opens the note and it says-_'Compliments of the manager'_ and Trapper says:

"It's from the manager"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Oh, that was nice of them...who would have ever thought of a place this nice in Crabapple Cove?"

Trapper smiles and says:

"Let's have a drink"

She nervously says:

"Let's"

He opens the bottle and pours them each a glass and he hands her one and he says:

"To us"

They toast then take a sip and Margaret walks over to the window and looks out at the beautiful sights of Crabapple Cove...gentle summer breezes in the evening, stars twinkling in the sky and she turns around after taking another sip and she looks at the queen size bed in the room and she looks at Trapper and smiles and walks back over to him and takes another sip then puts the half empty glass down then says:

"I'll be right back"

She kisses him passionately then leaves for the bathroom with her suitcase and he shakes his head and says:

"Wow!"

He takes off his day jacket and looks around the room and picks up his suitcase and opens it.

**Margaret:**

Margaret goes and pours water in the bathtub and after making sure that the water is temperature right, she stands up and slowly takes off her clothes then she steps into the tub and she turns off the water and thinks of Trapper's fingers dancing on her skin. She smiles at the anticipation of it but her heart also pounds. and she reaches up and takes her hair down from the small bun she had it in then disappears underneath the water.

**Trapper:**

He takes off his shirt and pants and puts on his robe and remembers that he copped a feel of Margaret's breasts back in Korea but now was...different. There was a excitement in the air....there was love...he could feel tenderness. He went over and poured himself another glass of champagne and listened to her softly humming in the bathroom and he smiles.

**Margaret:**

She was humming as she dries herself off, she inspected her face in the mirror, smiled at satisfaction then reached for flimsy black panties to put on and a seductive smile came to her and she thought then tossed the panties to the floor. Then she reached out of the suitcase and got a white gown decorated with red roses all in the right spots and she puts it on and the matching robe then puts her hair in a loose high ponytail with sprigs of hair falling about like a dangling necklace and she reaches for perfume and puts it on in between her breasts, on her arms, and on her neck. She looks at herself one last time in the mirror, takes a deep breath and goes out.

**Trapper:**

Trapper hears the door open and he looks as Margaret stands there for a second, letting him gaze at her then she goes over to him and kisses his chest then he clears his throat then says:

"Um, I guess I'll go in there now"

He kisses him one last time then says:

"Okay"

He goes in and she picks up her glass of champagne, looks at the old champagne in it then goes to the window and pours it out then goes and pours herself a fresh glass. She looks around the room and goes over to the record player and sees a selection of LP's beside it and looks through and picks out a jazz album and when she puts it on, slow, romantic jazz begins to play and she smiles in satisfaction.

**Trapper in bathroom:**

Trapper looks at himself in the mirror and goes over to the tub and sees there is also a shower, so he turns that on instead. He takes off his robe and steps in under the soft stinging rays of the water and he thinks of Margaret's lips on his and he notices a…change to his body quickly and he smiles. He washes his hair and his body very carefully then he steps out and dries off. He puts back on his lounging pants and his robe and thinks then goes to his suitcase and pulls out of the top of it , a bottle of cologne. Puts some on then goes outside to what he knows is the most luxurious thing in his life.

**Margaret and Trapper together:**

He comes out and he hears the romantic jazz music and he sees Margaret smiling at him…he almost loses his breath and thinks:

'_I could die right now and it would be heaven…no, heaven is to kiss her and then die'_

She hands him a glass of champagne, he comes and takes it and their heartbeats intermingle with the music and they put the glasses down and her lips meet his then she goes to his face and down to his manly chest, she undoes the tie holding the robe together and it falls and kisses it some more and he groans in pleasure, his hands find her robe and slip it off then her flimsy nightgown and he sees the perfection of her round breasts and he knows that there is nothing like it.

She is scared that he could hear her heartbeat through her bones and skin and she thinks:

'_Why am I feeling like this? It's not like I haven't been with…other men but…'_

Her thoughts are interrupted when he kisses her breasts almost in reverence and she groans. He suddenly and picks her up by her waist and holds her in his arms and while she kisses him on his mouth, he takes her over to the bed, their first marriage bed and he lays her down like she is a treasure in his arms but he quickly realizes he doesn't know how to think any other way.

He starts at her lips, goes to her earlobes and his hands begin to know her body but he knows he wants to kiss her all over. He rubs her shoulders and kisses them lightly then down her arms and when he reaches her hand, his hand goes into hers and they hold tight. She kisses his shoulders and chest again and realizes she doesn't want to do anything else ever again, not really, she doesn't want to be a nurse, a daughter, a friend and right now, not a mother, she just wants to love 'Trapper' John X. McIntrye for the rest of his life mentally and physically.

He feels the softness of her skin and admires the milky white skin then his lips find her swollen breasts again and he goes over them almost like in a lip massage and he hears her moan and he smiles. He realizes she doesn't have any panties on and it just urges him on….he raises his head and looks at her stomach and just to be silly, tickles her and even her laugh is pleasure to him! He hugs her then places his hand on a secret place that only a few men have known but it is now his for life! His fingers slide in and she gasps then a few minutes later, screams in desire in his ear. His hand goes over her backside and he feels the roundness of it and he whispers:

"Margaret, I want you"

She shifts her body just right and he gently lays on the top of her and continues to kiss her and she kisses him back and she feels him down below her waist and she holds her breath and he enters her and the music in the room seems to be in rhythm with their movements under the sheets. She keeps urging him on in so many ways with whispers of love in his ear, her hands putting slight pressure on his back, things finally accumulate with his and her screaming together. Not loud screams but enough for them to know they are perfect together.

**Later that same night:**

After falling asleep in each other arms, Trapper looks over and sees that the clock says that it is 3:23 in the morning, He looks back at his sleeping wife in his arms and lightly pulls back the covers and watches her slight breathing and the movements of her chest then his eyes roam over the rest of her naked body and he lays his head back and thinks:

'_Eat your f----ing heart out Frank, Donald and even you Hawk! She's ALLL mine!'_

Margaret must sense him being awake and she rolls over to smile at him and he smiles and they kiss and he has a thought but he hesitates and she asks:

"What?"

He gets up and goes to the bathroom and when he comes back out, she sees a jar of lubricant and she knows. She gets up on her knees and he places the lubricant in the right place. He then places his hands on the right place on her hips and gently enters her and they start out slowly but make the movements together. She clutches the sheets and her breath is quicker as is his then the movements begin to go faster and faster then the climax comes and they lay in each other arms in exhaustion.

**The next morning:**

He wakes up to sunlight streaming broadly in the room…at first he doesn't see her and almost panics and he starts to ask:

"Marg…"

Then he sees her. She is standing by the window, she closes the curtains on them and he looks at her curiously then she turns around and drops her gown and he sees her in full nudity again and it still amazes him but she still doesn't say a word. She walks over to him and pulls back the covers exposing him and the hugeness of him…she smiles with desire and then….she leans down and takes him in He is almost in total shock because he never thought of her doing that…most women don't like it but he lays back in the exotic feel of her mouth around his organ and he feels her hand squeezing it and the quick movements then he explodes!

Afterwards, she grins and crawls up in bed in his arms and he says:

"Wow, I never thought you would do that"

She giggles and moves around in his arm then he tells her:

"You can do that for me when I lay dying and I'll come back to life"

She laughs then kisses him on the mouth and he pulls the covers back over them.

**A/N—This is my FIRST time ever writing like this! How did I do?**


	27. Chapter 27 Becky

**This chapter will answer all about Becky. I did some research and I got the symptoms I think all right but if this is not portrayed acutely, I raise a white flag!**

Thanks to a good economy in 1957, Margaret and Trapper found a perfect home for them when they returned to Chicago. A large, rambling ranch house on the outskirts of Chicago, Trapper and Margaret were taking boxes in and out of their house that had a moving van parked in front and movers were taking heavy furniture in and **'Searchin' by the Coasters** was playing on the radio then Trapper picked up a box and asked Margaret:

"This goes in the kitchen?"

She rolls her eyes then asks:

"It's marked 'kitchen utensils' isn't it?"

He smiles and she continues:

"It's not hospital supplies!"

She takes in her box then they hear a car drive up and parks and out comes Hawkeye, Lorraine, Becky and Kathy with Holly. Trapper and Margaret smile and they all go running and Trapper goes to Hawkeye and says:

"Hey, we weren't expecting you guys for a few more weeks!"

Kathy and Becky hug their step-mother and dad as does Holly then they all run inside to check out their new home and Hawkeye says:

"Yeah, well, we didn't think we should wait anymore"

Margaret and Trapper look confused and both ask:

"What?"

Lorraine gently takes them over to the sliding glass doors and points in and they see Becky. A red rash is on her legs and she seems to be forcing herself to walk then Margaret's eyes pop and she says:

"She's forcing herself!"

A tear comes down Lorraine's cheeks and she says:

"I've been making her sit down as much as possible, I think she took all her strength to run to you"

Trapper's heart beats wildly and he looks at his best friend and Hawkeye gently says:

"Trapper, take her to a specialist, both dad and I examined her, he's seen this more than me and he's sure but...."

Lorraine goes to hold Margaret and he asks:

"W...what...?"

Lorraine asks him:

"Trapper, why didn't Louise ever take the girls to get their inoculations?"

His eyes go wide as saucers then he breaks for their car out beside a beautiful patch of grass and Margaret and Lorraine scream:

"Go get him Hawkeye!"

Hawkeye turns and runs after him and tackles Trapper and asks him:

"What are you going to do? Go confront her? She has her husband and probably all kinds of goons protecting her!"

Trapper screams:

"I want answers!"

Trapper falls crying on the ground and says in pain:

"I want to ask her why she is letting our little girl go paralyzed!"

Margaret goes to him and comforts him and lets him cry and Hawkeye walks back over to Lorraine who cries in his arms.

* * *

They all sit around the kitchen table, Trapper still stunned, Margaret poring coffee in cups and Hawkeye pulls out some pictures out of his jacket and hands him to Trapper and he looks through them. They are mostly pictures of Becky and Holly playing, swinging on the swing set Daniel got for them, jumping in the creek and Trapper smiles and asks:

"Why did she take all these?"

Hawkeye takes a cup from Lorraine then sits down and says:

"She took them for you"

Trapper looks at him with a silent question then Lorraine answers him softly:

"She knows Trapper, she's known for a long time"

Trapper throws down the pictures and Hawkeye says:

"She's told us that she tried to tell Louise something was wrong for a long time but she ignored it...Trapper, to talk with her, it's like talking to a twenty year old"

Lorraine shakes her head and says:

"It's not that she hates school, she's _bored_ with it!"

Trapper shakes his head then asks:

"But still, why did Louise do this?!"

Lorraine says:

"It's not uncommon for people to put their fears on their children, to not want to put them through that"

Trapper shakes his head and says:

"Louise is scared of needles so..."

Margaret says:

"Listen to you Lorraine, talking like a real psychiatrist"

She smiles and says:

"I enrolled in a course in college"

Hawkeye says:

"One of these days I'll introduce her to Sydney Freeman"

Hawkeye then says:

"Listen, I want to take Lorraine to Adam's Ribs..."

Lorraine says:

"Then we'll go get my kids....I'll talk to you later Margaret"

The women hug and the guys shake hands and Hawkeye and Lorraine leave and Margaret says:

"This is going to be interesting"

Trapper asks:

"What?"

Margaret says:

"Lorraine wants to be a psychiatrist and she is getting involved with one of the craziest guys I know!"

Trapper asks

"You think they are getting involved?"

Margaret takes a sip of her coffee then says:

"She's been in Maine for weeks with him, he's taking her to 'Adam's Ribs', she's taking him to meet her kids already"

Trapper looks at his girls then says:

"He's just taking her back to them"

They watch the 3 girls then after a while Margaret says:

"I'll give it 6 months"

He chuckles and they go back to watching them.

Trapper take Becky to doctor after doctor in Chicago but they all hear the same thing. **Polio.**

**A/N—I cried and cried writing this, Maybe it didn't help to have Sammy Kershaw playing on the CD while I was typing this up!**


	28. Chapter 28 Love me

_August 1977-20 years later_

Margaret along with Trapper drive up into the parking lot of 'Adam's Rib'. Trapper still has his almost perfect fire engine red 1957 Chevy. Margaret really hasn't changed all that much, just a little thicker around in some places but Trapper has a receding hair line and a touch of grey but that makes him distinguished. They get out and go into the diner, only one other person is there and Trapper points to a table under a window and says:

"Let's sit there"

Margaret smiles and says:

"Like we haven't been for the last 20 years"

He smiles and they slide in the booth then they hear the musical melodies of **Elvis Presley's 'Love Me'**, obviously from the jukebox that the one other customer has put on and Trapper says smiling:

"At least it isn't that disco junk the kids are listening to these days"

Margaret smiles and says:

"I hear a lot of his songs being played since he died"

Trapper shifts in his chair then says:

"When I got home last night, you were already in bed"

She shakes her head and says:

"That last shift was almost unbearable"

He shakes his head in agreement and continues to say:

"Anyway, Kathy called"

Margaret eyes light up and she says:

"She did? What did she say?"

He thinks for a second then says:

"She's getting ready to go on another photography shoot with National Geographic"

Margaret smiles and Trapper slumps down and Margaret notices and asks:

"What?"

He sighs and says:

"I still can't get her to talk to Louise"

Margaret shakes her head then he perks up and says:

"Do you know what she told me?"

Margaret shakes her head no and he says:

"She knew you were going to save her when she saw you walk through that door in 1957"

A tear rolls down Margaret's eye and then our 'high school ex-nurse' Eve comes over who now just looks like she should graduate college and puts down two waters and asks:

"Two ribs?"

Margaret says:

"Oh yes please and drinks, two cokes"

Eve asks:

"Is there a special occasion? You two seem especially happy"

Margaret and Trapper look at each other and Margaret says:

"We're celebrating our anniversary"

Eve claps her hands and says:

"Oh! Congratulations!"

Margaret explains:

"It was really last week but with the hospital and all"

She smiles and then Trapper shouts out:

"Don't forget the slaw!"

Eve looks back and sticks out her tongue and Trapper and Margaret smile.

**At that time, Marcy, Adam's daughter and Eve's step daughter, the weird waitress from all those many years ago is racing down the highway.**

Margaret then tells Trapper:

"But before I went to bed, Becky called"

Trapper's eyes light up and he asks:

"She did?"

Margaret shakes her head and says:

"Sherman Miller asked her to marry him"

He shakes his head then asks:

"Sherman Miller?"

Margaret sits back in her chair then says:

"You know very well who that is Trapper John! The first boy Hawkeye operated on that day!"

He smiles and remembers then folds his arms:

"I don't know if I like this"

She laughs then says:

"Trapper, he loves her, has been since that summer, from then on; every summer it was 'When's Becky coming, when's Becky coming? Hawkeye almost went nuts!"

He laughs and says:

"Lorraine had her hands full"

Margaret bends over and says:

"He doesn't care that she's paralyzed"

Trapper's smile falls a little and she whispers:

"She's okay Trapper, she's doing great, she's got paintings and pencil drawings the world over! And guess what? She's going to be the first wheel chair bound person in Maine to get a new assistance dog!"

Trapper then says:

"But this Sherman Miller? Margaret…."

Margaret taps her fingers on the table and says:

"He is going into practice with Hawkeye and besides, you know Becky's not coming back here, Crabapple Cove is her home…"

Margaret sits back and says:

"That's where Winnie the Pooh hangs out"

Trapper smiles.

**Marcy is still driving on the highway and not caring how fast she is going, she then looks over at the gun in the passenger seat next to her.**

Margaret then tells him:

"You know what Holly told me this morning?'

He looks at her then asks:

"What?"

She smiles and says:

"She's thinking of going to college in Augusta, Maine, she says she's going to be a nurse for her daddy, he needs somebody since Grandpa Daniel died"

Trapper smiles and Margaret says:

"I think she's going to become a doctor"

He throws down a napkin he rolled in his hand and he says:

"Wait a minute, she hasn't even graduated college and you have her being a doctor?"

Margaret smiles and says:

"I have a feeling"

He doesn't say anything more. He knows not to argue with her feelings.

Eve comes with the ribs and sits them down and Margaret and Trapper almost salivate at them. They don't hear the car running in neutral in the parking

Just as Eve steps behind the counter, a car comes smashing through the walls of the diner. Glass, wood and tables; chairs going flying everywhere, including Trapper and Margaret.

Their bodies hit the floor with a thud.

Margaret coughs blood out and Trapper opens his eyes and looks at his wife and crawls to her and coughs out blood himself and feels her ribs and she looks at him lovingly then he says:

"We're not going to make it"

She coughs more blood out then says:

"I know"

He laughs then says:

"You know…."

He bends over and whispers in her ears some words and she laughs then he puts his hand in hers then lays back and they both close their eyes with each other for the last time.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adam and Eve watch in shock and horror as Marcy gets out of the car with the gun, goes to the front, looks at the still bodies of Trapper and Margaret, looks over at her parents and then… shoots herself in the chin.

Her gun falls back on her car and she falls to the floor with Adam and Eve screaming and crying.

**OR 4 DAYS LATER:**

Father John Francis Mulcahy is performing the funeral services of Trapper and Margaret.

He is at the graveside, under a green tent and saying:

'Ashes, to ashes, dust to dust…"

Hawkeye stands at the foot of the graves with Lorraine and two teenage boys. He looks over at Kathy, Becky in her wheelchair with her Golden Labrador and his beautiful daughter Holly.

Louise comes in quietly by the church with a young man who is her son. She just stands there. Donald Penobscot is there in his army uniform as is Frank Burns who wonders-_'I wonder if Trapper had anything to do with me losing the race in '57?'_

B.J. is there with Peg and several others from the 4077th.

Father Mulcahy finishes and Hawkeye hears the song _'Taps'_ being played hauntingly then he sees the soldiers giving Kathy and Becky American Flags. Then quietly everybody comes to shake and hug the girls then Kathy leaves, Sherman Miller helps Becky leaves, Holly comes to Hawkeye and hugs him then says:

"I'm going to the car"

He shakes his head and then she leaves and Father John comes over to Hawkeye and smiles. Hawkeye shuffles then says:

"You know there might be more of these coming now"

Father Mulcahy shakes his head sadly then says:

"This was my last official act of the church Hawkeye, I'm retiring now"

Hawkeye shakes his head and Father Mulcahy looks at Holly getting in the car with Lorraine and the two boys then he says:

"That's quite a brood you have there Hawkeye"

Hawkeye looks back and smiles and says:

"Three years after Lorraine and I married, she had the twins, that's Daniel and Edward"

Father Mulcahy raises a eyebrow and asks:

"Edward?"

Hawkeye shrugs his shoulders and says:

"Well, Margaret wouldn't let me name him Donald and when she got Lorraine on her side…well, Edward was the closet to Elizabeth"

Father Mulcahy asks:

"Did your Father get to know them?"

Hawkeye smiles and says:

"He lived until they were five…one day he went walking on Applesauce bridge and…never came back"

Hawkeye notices Kathy walking right past her mother and half-brother, barely acknowledging their presence.

Then Hawkeye looks at his fighting family and says:

"Let me go before there's another funeral you have to do…see you later Father"

They hug and Hawkeye goes to the car but he turns to see Kathy bringing a tape recorder to her parent's grave, places it in between the two mounds of dirt and he hears the haunting melody of **'Love me' **and he smiles and takes his wife and children back to Maine.

'_Treat me like a fool,_

_Treat me mean and cruel, _

_But Love me._

_Break my faithful heart_

_Tear it all apart,_

_But Love me._

_If you ever go,_

_Darling, I'll be oh, so lonely,_

_I'll be sad and blue,_

_Crying over you, dear only._

_I would beg and steal_

_Just to feel your heart_

_Beatin' close to mine._

_Well, if you ever go,_

_Darling, I'll be so lonely,_

_I'll be sad and blue,_

_Crying over you, dear only._

_I would beg and steal_

_Just to feel your heart _

_Beating' close to mine_

_Well, if you ever go_

_Darling, I'll be oh so lonely_

_Begging on my knees,_

_All I ask is please, please love me_

_Oh Yeah._


End file.
